Greatest achievement in human history?

[Grummgug]

What is the greatest achievement in human history?

My answer centers on how I view humanity. What separates humans from animals IMO is our self-control. In other words, our ability to suppress our emotions and apply logic. Animals can express a wide range of emotions. Animals can express joy, sadness, jealousy, greed, fear, hunger and many other emotions. But they are much more enslaved by their emotions compared to humans. What animals really struggle to do is move beyond their emotions and do something logical. It is our self-control that makes us special.

I'm torn between two achievements that have enhanced humanity's self-control.

1. The invention of writing.
2. The invention of the scientific method.

Writing enabled us to keep a log of human events. This is where history began. The study of history, learning our errors and successes, has greatly enhanced our self-control. It acts as a super long-term memory dating thousands of years. The scientific method is incredibly important because it codifies self-control in a clear process that enables us to make complex discoveries.

I think I have to go with the invention of writing.

[Beavis]

How about figuring out how to make a fire?

[Reeve]

I'm gonna go with fire.

[Skelington]

The creation and mass distribution of hentai.

[Waaldo]

We could have lived without fire. I think agriculture takes the cake.

The creation and mass distribution of hentai.

that's definitely a close second.

[Decagon]

I thought fire was created by Homo Erectus.

I'd probably have to go with language, communication is really the only reason that we evolved and stayed alive. Communication is the result of everything in human history including survival. If language doesn't count, I'd probably have to go with writing as well.

[Trilicity]

achieveing the ability to reason with on another, without that none other would be possible.

[Wells]

Rationality.

[Trotheus]

Silicon chip, duh!

[Deleted]

The creation and mass distribution of hentai.

I like you more each passing day.

[Dhrizzle]

Trade between social groups - it was an advantage we had over our hominid cousins that allowed our societies to evolve.

[mizeri]

flight, it made the world so much smaller.

[Beavis]

We could have lived without fire. I think agriculture takes the cake.

Yep, eating handfuls of flour sure does sound great.

---------- Post added 2012-10-01 at 03:31 AM ----------

I thought fire was created by Homo Erectus.

Meh, close enough.

[Mnevis]

Some Minnesotans just shattered the record for the world's largest cheeseburger, making one weighing over a ton.

That's got to be up there with beer, written law, and the Apollo program, right?

[Susanoo]

Fork
10char

[muto]

The discovery of mathematics and learning how to make fire without a doubt.

[Truhan]

I think I speak for a few nerds when I say sending a human being into outer fucking space and having him walk on the goddamn moon...and return.

[Arcrin]

We could have lived without fire. I think agriculture takes the cake.



that's definitely a close second.

aaaaand no we the human race would have been dead 5000years ago if we didnt get fire.

[MullAY]

The creation and mass distribution of hentai.

O noes....
www(dot)accessj(dot)com/2012/06/internet-downloading-laws-in-japan(dot)html

[darkwarrior42]

Politics.

There's a strong theory in evolutionary psychology that if we hadn't started playing the kinds of political bullshit games everyone now hates, we wouldn't have evolved our intelligence anywhere near as quickly or as powerfully... that we evolved our intelligence not to overcome our environment or other predators, but to outsmart and outwit other humans. If true, that means that everything else humanity has accomplished through the use of intelligence (including all art, all science, all culture and all technology) are a direct result of our desire to gain dominance over each other without using brute force.

(I'm am using a definition of great that is not synonymous with "admirable" or "moral", but is closer to "impressive" or "significant".)