Timeline for How can an advanced civilization forget how to manufacture its technology?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2019 at 10:43 | comment | added | gerrit | See the Voynich manuscript. | |
| Jul 13, 2019 at 1:31 | comment | added | alephzero | There's no need to "imagine" what a technical manual of Shakespeare's era would look like. You can read one yourself, here: archive.org/details/mobot31753000817749/page/4 | |
| Jul 12, 2019 at 21:41 | comment | added | Mark | The problem won't necessarily be the language itself, so much as the technical terminology. For a real-world example, do you know what a "snifting clack", a "plug tree", or a "scoggen" is? (Partial answer: the "snifting clack" is a plug that acts to keep the engine from getting windlogged.) | |
| Jul 12, 2019 at 18:21 | comment | added | IAntoniazzi | @kingledion The only reason we are able to translate the hieroglyphics is because of the Rosetta Stone. It's easy to imagine a world where such a stone either never existed or was never found. Were that the case, ancient Egyptian language would remain totally indecipherable. | |
| Jul 12, 2019 at 17:26 | comment | added | kingledion | @CGCampbell Wut? lingojam.com/HieroglyphicsTranslator | |
| Jul 12, 2019 at 15:24 | comment | added | Ruther Rendommeleigh | @CGCampbell - a.k.a. Stargate | |
| Jul 12, 2019 at 15:02 | comment | added | CGCampbell | For all we know, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were the scripts used to activate anti-gravity sleds given to them by the aliens .... and now we can't decipher hieroglyphs.... | |
| Jul 11, 2019 at 14:53 | comment | added | user20762 | Another great idea! You guys are brilliant! | |
| Jul 11, 2019 at 14:45 | history | answered | IAntoniazzi | CC BY-SA 4.0 |