Books and Scientific Method Shifted Innovation from Societal to Individual, Says Ethan Mollick

Wharton Professor Ethan Mollick recently posited that technological development remained slow for an estimated 9,288 generations due to a fundamental difference in how innovation occurred. According to a tweet by Mollick, prior to the advent of books and the scientific method, advancements emerged primarily "at the level of societies, not people." This resulted in technology evolving through "slow cultural adaptation," rather than through individual "leaps of genius."

This perspective suggests that for much of human history, technological progress was a communal and gradual process, embedded within collective knowledge and practices. The absence of formalized systems for recording and disseminating information, such as widespread literacy and printed materials, meant that discoveries and improvements were often passed down orally or through apprenticeship, limiting their rapid expansion and individual attribution.

The Scientific Revolution, beginning in the 16th century, marked a profound shift. The development of the scientific method, emphasizing observation, experimentation, and systematic reasoning, provided a structured approach to understanding the natural world. Concurrently, the proliferation of the printing press, invented in the mid-15th century, revolutionized the sharing of knowledge. Books made information widely accessible, allowing individual scholars and innovators to build upon previous work more effectively and quickly.

Historians often cite the printing press as a critical catalyst for the spread of scientific ideas and the acceleration of innovation. It enabled the rapid dissemination of theories and experimental results, fostering a more interconnected intellectual community. This era saw the rise of individuals like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton, whose singular contributions were documented, debated, and built upon, fundamentally changing the pace and nature of technological and scientific advancement.