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Quote  ·  Added 14 February 2026

Technology has to be invented or adopted.

Jared DiamondGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, p. 15, 1997
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Nothing inevitable about progress

We often talk about technology as if it's inevitable—like the smartphone or the internet was always going to happen. But Diamond's point cuts deeper: nothing is automatic. A technology has to actually be invented by someone, somewhere, and then other people have to decide it's worth using. That second part, adoption, is where most technologies actually die. The world is full of clever inventions that never caught on because people didn't see the point, or the timing wasn't right, or something cheaper already existed.

This matters because it rescues us from technological fatalism. When we assume that everything will just keep getting faster or smarter, we miss how much choice we have. Every time a community decides to say no to a new tool, or yes to an old one, or finds a way to adapt something for their own needs—that's adoption in action. It's not passive. The fact that we haven't all abandoned cars for something better isn't proof that nothing better is possible. It just means we haven't invented or chosen it yet. That shifts the burden back onto us, which is both humbling and energizing.

The author

Jared Diamond

b. 1937

Jared Diamond is an American ecologist, evolutionary biologist, and author, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-winning book "Guns, Germs, and Steel," which explores the factors that have shaped human societies throughout history. He is a professor of geography at UCLA and has contributed significantly to the fields of biogeography and environmental science. Diamond's work often examines the impact of environment and geography on civilizations and their development.

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