Invention Threads The BIG PICTURE the role of inventions throughout history To study human’s inventions is to study how humans have interacted with their environment and with themselves and attempted to solve their problems. One of the best ways to track the history of humans is to investigate their inventions.

Four most common human traits... Predilection toward spirituality and religious practice Engaging in organized and sustained work Propensity for organized and sustained warfare Organizing goal-oriented teams or groups Each trait features problem-solving that inevitably leads to inventions

Predilection toward spirituality and religious practice Origins of religious inventions … Human spirituality is typically manifested by religious practice centered around understanding and meeting perceived desires of a deity. Common belief: Humans’ problems derive directly from relationships with the deity(s). Humans have consistently sought new ways of organizing people into patterns of behavior to meet the expectations of the deity in order to solve their own problems. Each new form of worship or religious practice is, in part, a form of invention created to solve problems.

Engaging in organized and sustained work In its most basic form, work is behavior associated with sustaining life. –accessing and/or producing food –establishing and maintaining shelters, –increasing the health and safety of people –protecting and extending human life Throughout history, humans have been compelled toward organized work and sought ways to make work easier and/or more efficient. Thus, much work is accompanied by problem-solving behavior leading to work-related inventions.

Propensity in organized and sustained warfare Warfare is essentially systematic problem- solving behavior centered around use of violence and aggression to attain goals. Warfare has been the impetuous for an extensive number inventions, many of which have been extensively used during peace- time.

Organizing goal-oriented teams or groups Humans invent ways to organize the teams and establish parameters for effective and efficient functioning. –Parents may create a set of rules. –Professional organizations invent standards –Countries invent laws and regulations for governing the masses. The policies are changed as the situations change or as new and better ways of operating are discovered. Each of these situations have involved groups of people inventing policies for solving the social problems associated with a particular small, large, or even massive group of people.

When we initially think of inventions, we usually think of a gadget or tool of some kind. However, there are three kinds of inventions… Physical inventions gadgets, tools, medicine, or new chemicals Process inventions an organizing technique or procedure for of doing things, such as creating established plans or strategies Policy inventions regulations, laws, or guidelines that establish parameters for human endeavor