How inventions change history (for better and for worse) - Kenneth C. Davis

View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/how-inventi...
Invented in 1793, the cotton gin changed history for good and bad. By allowing one field hand to do the work of 10, it powered a new industry that brought wealth and power to the American South -- but, tragically, it also multiplied and prolonged the use of slave labor. Kenneth C. Davis lauds innovation, while warning us of unintended consequences.
Lesson by Kenneth C. Davis, animation by Sunni Brown.

[@yournamealreadytaken]

I think blaming the slave's fate on the inventor is very wrong. It's like regreting that prehistoric man invented the fire because someone gets burned. Many inventions can be used in a bad way. Therefore it's the responsibility of each individual how he behaves. This is only taking away the responsibility from each wrong-doing individual. The slave-owner is wrong, not somenone that makes slave/owning profitable.

[@Kriegerdammerung]

Not each individual, the responsibility falls on the people who have got the power (= the monopoly of management).

[@ashleygrey1075]

Did you just compare a machine that helped in the growth of slavery to the invention of fire? Wow dude 😂😂😂

[@madolivefilms1551]

Why are you getting so upset. Ted didn't blantly so that it was all the creators fault, he explained how tragedies can come from these inventions. So he showed examples of them. 😐

[@Username1236_w]

I would like but it’s at 💯

[@veda7540]

literally Eli made the cotton gin FOR THAT REASON, like he's not some innocent guy who didn't know what was going to happen, he knew what he was doing. it is quite genuinely a lot of his fault

[@AdeusG]

Some good food for thought. I always try to consider how inventions and ideas have impacted our world and how life could have been different in so many ways. Great inspiration for world building.

[@brickman409]

This makes me proud of never inventing anything in my life.

[@terrelllayne2050]

I know I'm kinda off topic but do anybody know a good site to watch newly released movies online?

[@karsynanders8224]

@Terrell Layne i dunno lately I have been using flixportal. Just search on google after it:P -karsyn

[@terrelllayne2050]

@Karsyn Anders thanks, signed up and it seems to work =) I appreciate it!

[@karsynanders8224]

@Terrell Layne Glad I could help xD

[@jannahmiers7056]

And yet, have you used any inventions that contribute to such problems? If you can, say no. Then google a couple of things, and be proven profoundly wrong.

[@Nizati]

"With great power, comes great responsibility.." - Uncle Ben

[@THEInkaholicink]

I love TED- I've made my benchmark for success the first time I deliver a TED talk, or TED ED.

[@PrivateColt]

Once upon a time, a wise man said, “Everything humanity has invented or it will invent, eventually it appears that the invention is a weapon”

[@lucid8078]

ah yes, toaster weapon

[@PrivateColt]

@@lucid8078 Exactly!

[@lucid8078]

@@PrivateColt I just realized that the original comment was 8 years ago

[@PrivateColt]

​@@lucid8078 It doesn't matter. The post is still valid.

[@lucid8078]

@@PrivateColt Oh I know, I just didn't realize it was 8 years ago, 8 years is a long time

[@paulbenedict7961]

wass up my G. My class loved it. Your favorite history teacher, mr B

[@idsplayz8407]

ayyy proffesor nice xD jk who are uHEHHEE

[@Hanible]

I'm interested in what the students had to say after watching it!

[@HuziBoy111]

why tf history teachers always so chill

[@Misterdave1975]

I think the point of this video is that you are never quite sure how a new invention will shape the world. This is why it is doubly important that we do our due diligence in fields that have great potential for harm. Chemical engineering, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, military research ect.

[@masterpeace7630]

This really made me think. Thank you!

[@masterpeace7630]

@Angely RodriguezMolina well, I said it anyway 😂 whatcha gon do about it?

[@zegermanscientist2667]

There is one general trend: pople use new inventions not to save effort, but to make more out of it. Combustion engines became more efficient, but fuel consumption didn't drop, cars got bigger. Flatscreens need less energy, so now every workplace has two screens. Whenever we make something more efficient, we scale it up.

[@bellarviera13]

I just watched this video today, and my us History teacher is amazing. Eli Whitney is amazing.

[@rubbencaldderon8034]

Huh

[@findkristen6344]

Excellent presentation

[@SuperIll123]

I loved this kind of animation.

[@Jayfr22]

Came here to see if someone had answers

[@CottonAcre]

Just like any invention, there are always pros and cons.

[@williemyself]

That's why this is so educational because many people don't even think about the fact that there might be some cons.

[@benlewis5312]

​@@williemyself People should never stifle innovation simply because there might be cons. The only exception I can think of is maybe nuclear weapons, but half the reason the Manhattan project was funded was to create nuclear weapons before the Nazis could. Just learn how to use technology ethically. People studying artificial intelligence are required to take a billion ethics courses for a reason. It's an absolutely wonderful field with endless possibilities to improve humanity, but only if we use it wisely. Admittedly many companies are not.

[@stansman5461]

@@benlewis5312 to add on, it also ended the way much quicker and saved more lives than a land invasion would've

[@user-ru9qz4oh4j]

Большое спасибо за ваш труд

[@jhonnyrock]

4:55 E = Energy e ≈ 2.718281828

[@PepePopo2011]

E^2=(mc^2^)2+(pc)^2, missed the () on (pc)

[@kevinlane1219]

All I'm getting from this is every invention and discovery is in the gray area. Meaning it has consequences both good and bad. I think that's because every decision and action comes at a price. People say "No Good Deed goes Unpunished" and "Eaten Bread is soon Forgotten." But maybe every decision yields a reward as well; it's just that it's difficult for us to see them both. It's like what my mom once told me, "There's more good than bad in the world. It's just the bad gets more attention, whereas the good is more low-key." We don't know what we loose when we choose to be lazy, and some jobs, although important, seem to be thankless. So in conclusion, we must always be more considerate of the consequences of our actions; we must ask ourselves what it will yield us, what will it cost us, and weather or not it's worth the price. And more important, we should at least try and show more appreciation for the contributions people make to us. And we should all try and thank people for doing the right thing. Otherwise, the bread we give will soon be forgotten. Thank you.:-)

[@TRak598]

The more potential for different applications, the more interest an invention will draw. Doesn't matter if one of the applications is potentially harmful. Humans need puzzles to solve so they can exercise their brains and challenges to overcome so they can potentially earn income from it.

[@richardweber16]

Innovation is what progresses mankind to achieve better and greater and allows us to live in a world of better understanding. The negative applications of innovation stated are more of a reflection on where humanity stems from. There are plenty of kinks to be worked out, but I'm hopeful that humanity is moving in the right directions and it is primarily due to innovation.

[@jebc4652]

Very true inventions can change everything for better or worse.

[@starchington]

Like in the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile, Elvis comes in and tells Picasso, Eisenstein and everyone else in the bar to "Say good-bye to the age of indifference. And say hello to the age of regret." Its a strange but good play.

[@tomtoms8480]

knowledge is a blessing and a curse, but necessary one

[@ethanlevine1935]

yea, but with rest mass, the p goes to zero and one can take the positive square root of each side leading to the more famous (albeit with lesser information) equation

[@BosonCollider]

Meanwhile: in 1816, Krakatoa erupted and everyone had to endure the year without summer. Thousands died of frostbite. I'd wager that the mass produced cotton clothes saved more that a few people that year. Sure, making them was hard work, but the industrial revolution gave hundreds of millions of people a change of clothes. Life before industrialization sucked, and for the average man it required a huge input of work just to stay alive. Sure, there are issues even in an industrialized society, but they are infinitely preferable to the issues you see in pre-industrial societies. 10% of the society being slaves was still better than 80% of society being serfs to their landlords. The reason why we don't have slavery or serfdom any more is entirely thanks to the further development of the industrial revolution. The work that used to be done by slaves or serfs is now done by machines. We have gone from a society where almost everyone had to constantly work to make food to one where 2% of society can fully provide the rest with food, working only on a standard eight hour workday with weekends. It pains me that people don't understand how magical things like flipping a switch to light up a room or clean water from a tap are, and regularly complain about the things that make their lifestyle possible. We live in a society where the magical has become ordinary, and people don't understand just how well off they are.

[@jennaong5010]

I agree people quite often take for granted the brilliant inventions which surround them, but there are definitely some of us who still marvel at their brilliance! In fact the reason why I'm on KZbin looking up videos about the history of inventions is because a few minutes ago I took my clothes out of a dryer and was overwhelmed with appreciation for this remarkable machine.

[@michaelrees350]

Krakatoa erupted in 1883 Factcheck

[@BosonCollider]

+Uhh Maybe You're right. The volcano that erupted in 1816 was Mt Tambora. I had the two confused, thanks for catching the error.

[@michaelrees350]

:~)

[@shubhambadve9509]

You're right BosonCollider. A second grader ran away from home just because he didnt have a phone

[@TheWhiteCanvasPSN]

Actually, it's E²=(mc²)²+(pc)² :P You forgot to square the (mc²) part.

[@johnrigler8858]

Eli Whitney was the first person to make gin out of cotton!

[@jg2358]

I need help solving this question. What other examples of mass production, technology, industry, etc. resulted in problems or tragedy?

[@billyfox6368]

Well, the use of fossil fuels and industrialisation generally has created a lot of air pollution. Plastic creates land and water pollution. Automation can cause some degree of unemployment.

[@blgbabiboy]

Not complaning, just warning. "invention can be a double edge sword"

[@mydigitalbible]

Very good

[@Olimpico230]

i'm with you bro

[@tejukanaparthy]

bruh the ending :,(

[@amber6422]

what does it mean?

[@israelcortez2485]

@@amber6422 do you even know what Hiroshima is

[@amber6422]

@@israelcortez2485 ...i've been to hiroshima

[@amber6422]

@@israelcortez2485 Oh and I am aware of what happened, it's just that "world of possibilities" thing. It's just vague.

[@heroknaderi]

Incredible 😎👍

[@lydeljanni7462]

how does the revolutionary war have anything to do with slavery like this guy said in the opening?

[@Zappyguy111]

It's not the invention, or the inventor, it's the user, and it is us the public that help fund it and that have to say no.

[@leanhdao4281]

Moral lessons:Choose inventions that suitable,necessary for your life.Invent your own handwriting,lifestyle,food,objects,drink,...

[@Cronuz2]

wierd that he didnt use Alfred Nobel as a basic model for this video. he made stabile nitroglycerin to make mining easier, but it was used for war. and he made a will that says all his money shall be used for a yearly price (nobel prices) peace, physics, math..

[@lilysmith6480]

Has anyone noticed on the 'FUN MATH GAMES' advert that she couldn't work out how mant X's there were (there were 4) but she was saying words like concept!! 🙄🙄 Who's here for school? 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻

[@tathimai7423]

please give me it's word drapt . Iam vietnamese so i need the tapecript to help me practice listening and other skills

[@GamingCertification]

Vietnamese is there in captions

[@icarlei9270]

anyone wanna help me answer this question? : : : How does this video relate to the question, does technology improve or control our lives?

[@billyfox6368]

Mostly, it was an example of the effects of a very major invention i.e. the cotton gin, but at the end, it concluded what it was trying to say by proposing various ways in which technology can further or diminish or quality of life. In all, it didn't answer the question directly because there isn't an answer. Really, they summarised it by saying that it all depends on the consequences and that the extremes of constant techno-optimism and technopessimism are bother mostly incorrect; innovation has advantages and disadvantages.

[@MattSullivn]

1:54 light balbs did not exist yet try a candle?

[@adrienconacher6942]

(something logical and that you cannot argue with because it's accurate)

[@IronAnimation]

Wow, surprisingly coherent and thoughtful for a drunk memory.

[@heropreacher3760]

Your so insensitive 😤

[@mvuia]

i like how people in the comments are correcting the guy in the video

[@grujcyk]

Who is John Galt?

[@smarajitpunaykanti6463]

I still wonder how with little information and formal education people invented .

[@Zyrvaria]

if im not mistaken they also copied the Pc right?

[@WonYeongBoss]

닥터윤 숙제하시는분...?

[@abrahammartinez6526]

Im sorry im just here because of school , I mean thx for the workk! 😡

[@baguette5932]

@Noah Reneau why would you like to ban this type of videos? I mean, it's better than an hour long documentary

[@Skepticline]

No. Maybe. Not all anger. It can cause it. Sometimes. It isn't.

[@ataraxic89]

Cant be too sure on YT comments :(

[@thecaveoawesomeness]

The e=mc^2 and Hiroshima example really seemed a bit off to me. An invention is really unbiased. It has no objective or agency. It is the people who use it correctly or exploit it who cause the good or bad. I do agree that inventions can be double edged swords but they don't have to be.

[@TheLioneljudo]

i'm not sure if you're sure

[@1pop2pop3popo]

umm... sorry it is actually E2=(mc2)2+pc2

[@sarcasmo57]

Well, now we know...

[@sherwinrulidaofficial9735]

help me please.. how did research change the world for the better?

[@shubhambadve9509]

I had to do an assignment on Eli Whitney so I watched this video. It gave me some information but not that much. Plus I wonder why It says it is bad that he invented that

[@duckobsessedhuman8721]

It wasn't the greatest invention because it raised the demand for slavery. Also, you should use multiple sources when doing an assignment.

[@bellarviera13]

Use a book in order to find sources as well

[@Sylvanas17]

They are a small price to pay for improved technology.

[@the_sophile]

Einstein didn't invent e=mc^2, he just discovered it. This is like blaiming newton for a plane crash because he discovered gravity. Einstein didn't take part in manhattan project

[@danevarga5789]

what up boiiiisss

[@banhbao255]

Dane Varga hi Dane

[@banhbao255]

And you will never know who I am mwahhahaha

[@Narsuaq]

But I like the intro :(

[@giftysingh8788]

Hi there

[@xdeser2]

something to ponder, for sure. But then agian, its not the invention itself, but what me do with it. history's (sadly) proved we have very little restraint :/

[@NakedUndone]

Give me a break. Tablet style computers have been around since long before Apple introduced the iPad...

[@timothychun1699]

MRS CARLS CLASS ATTENDANCE SAY HERE

[@AlexandrZaytsevet]

That comment gets deeper the more more you look at it.

[@wintertornado]

i feel smart :3

[@TheLioneljudo]

not realy it is E^2=(mc^2)^2+(pc^2)

[@hobbit2245]

Yes, that's true, but the Japanese had ALREADY offered to surrender before that. They hadn't officially sent the surrender, but they had told the Americans that they were ready to talk and stated their conditions. The US refused.

[@reevolutionable]

Not mentioning that the people now have no money to do other things :-/

[@Waterlooplein1]

Man is an inventing animal. He creates new technology all the time. If he did not we would live like cave-men and nothing would ever change.

[@kazimierz198]

I did google it, you are incorrect. Japan offered a full surrender after the bombs were dropped: "Later that day, the United States dropped another atomic bomb, this time on the city of Nagasaki. The combined shock of these events caused Emperor Hirohito to intervene and order the Big Six to accept the terms for ending the war that the Allies had set down in the Potsdam Declaration."

[@gangstab3ar639]

3:28 I thought they were salt and pepper shakers, lol

[@klayman2]

Allow me to fix that (People make themselves fat, money makes them get greedy, weapons make them kill, lust makes them want more, and they make themselves lazy, property is just something to make you feel safe and that you have a home.)

[@marcg7676]

They wouldn't, the cost of slaves versus gain of production would result in lost, the farmers would not have had the money to buy the slaves, resulting in a financial chain reaction in everything involving slaves.

[@antelopes111]

kipz of the mud, te gusta?

[@ryandarula]

if anyone was completely and utterly ripped off it was xerox... poor bastards... made the first computer and got shat on by apple

[@okashi10]

It's not science and technology that's bad, it's what you do with it...

[@YangSunWoo]

Lol, look at what his profile says. "I'm a really rational and peaceful guy, that's not afraid to respectfully disagree i'm a smarty pants, i'm a comic book fan, i'm a tech buff, basically i'm like a mini Neil Patrick Harris & Michael Cera hybrid"

[@ThisMineUsername]

Damn you.

[@Gerberbaby922]

Not exactly up to TEDed level as far as subject matter; these are lessons/info. that we all learned in middle school.

[@AwkwardTalent]

seems like someone is a negative Nancy. inventors shouldnt be faulted for what people do with their inventions/the change in the market because of their inventions

[@thecaveoawesomeness]

Comment full of truth

[@hobbit2245]

The Japanese offered a full surrender with one condition: keeping their emperor. We bombed them and then accepted the terms. That is considered open knowledge, just google it. It's not hidden or anything.

[@timorlov3000]

He only explained the idea in a historical point of view. What about the modern standard inventions.

[@christianca1der335]

this was lit

[@thehearth8773]

What, are we gonna just forget about Babbage entirely? Sure he never actually built it, but come on!

[@dahawk8574]

Yeah, his cow-catcher sure revolutionized the West. Maybe if he had built it, he would have made it into this vid.

[@theshimmysisters5410]

My kids loved this video. Here is another video about inventors that's worth watching kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoXSl6N9i7GIic0

[@superion6374]

*Einstein made e=mc^2* *USA used that equation to make nuclear bomb for war* Einstein:Am i the joke to you??

[@sione007]

I can see his logic, but what is his point? does he want us to stop inventing? Even if there are negative consequences to inventing do they outweigh the benefits? How could an inventor possibly know about consequences that "might" happen decades later, positive or negative?

[@mattrocde]

I don't think weapons cause the anger, they give people a bad way of using that anger. But they also give people a way of protecting themselves from bad people. It's as the video says. Even though they were intended for good things when they were made, bad things also tend to creep into what they are used for. Unfortunately we can never control what people will use things for. Luckily however most people are good and use them for good things.

[@TOMRIDDLE2891]

PC=personal computer

[@user-qm1qr8pn6j]

Согласен со Стасом

[@emmanuelameyaw9735]

The good outweighs the bad 99 to 1.

[@nigelmckee3058]

That's interesting. Apparently 'internet' makes people more pretentious and condescending. The comment you replied to was clearly satire. Oh, and I was already this condescending before the internet.

[@jrbaskind]

I think that this video made you uncomfortable. It did that to me, certainly! I think you are rejecting the video in order to reject your discomfort. If I'm wrong in my assessment, then I apologize. I am just "calling it like I see it".

[@Lynthrix]

Me y

[@madaoanimelife2227]

Blame the government that allowed slavery thinking it would be abolished soon when they did nth, the ppl who made the choice to use nuclear energy as a weapon not the inventors

[@11STANE11]

invention is neutral putting it to use makes it good or bad. lets clean earth of bad people so we can invent things which we can put in a good use.