How Necessity is The Mother of Invention in Modern World

Gatha Christie said, “I do not think necessity is the mother of invention. Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness – to save oneself trouble”. In this essay on 'Necessity is the mother of invention' we will reflect on whether invention is a symbolic representation of modern world. 

Do We Need Both Necessity and Invention?

Invention, is the essential symbol of human progress and development. Where we stand today is a consequence of invention. Humans started to be creative as early as the cave era. The only difference is, that the prehistoric man did it subconsciously. For simplicity I would like to categorize the word 'Invention', in two ways. Conscious and subconscius invention.

But let's talk about the actual word. Thomas Alva Edison not simply acquired more than thousand patents, but also invented the word - ''invention''. In my opinion that is where the consious era started. What was Edison's key to success, was it, that he did not have enough things to do, was he lazy or was he simply passionate and intrigued. In my experience, most of people lose their passion to learn and invent something new, just because they loose their motivation or they have different priorities in life.

Agatha Christie said, ''I do not think necessity is the mother of invention''. I do not agree, I think, ''our need will be the real creator'' is closer to what I think how it could improve inventions as rephrasing Plato. Without necessity why do we need inventions?! But also with development there is more needfulness. If we go back in time, when the only necessity for people was to defend and feed their families, necessity was to invent some kind of weapon to defeat enemies and to hunt for food. There was not much of an invention, because necessities were very basic. If we look at the 21st century, we have theatres, cinemas, all kinds of sport activities, music, dance clasess etc. Over time, we have expanded our necessities and with that also our needs.

Agatha Christie said, ''Invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness – to save oneself trouble”. I used to think that laziness is a big force of development, but not anymore. I have not seen lazy and succesfull people, and I am talking about people who have reached their life's goals on their own, with hard work, sleepless nights and strong inner will. I think, the word laziness plainly doesn't fit in this context. On the other hand, the deffinition of being succesful, is different for everyone.

Mark Kennedy once said, ''all of the biggest technological inventions created by man, - the airplain, the automobile, the computer - says little about his intelligence, but speaks volumes about his laziness''. It is not laziness what makes us do something, but, I feel it can be due to the fear of basic survival, or the drive to improve how things are done.

Conclusion

We can invent little things every day. Even my opinion is somehow an invention, founded on my personal experience and knowledge. In my opinion, the best invention is how people have the ability to build their lives throughout the years, and what they can leave for future generations.

References

1. Ross, M. N. (2014). Necessity and Invention in the Modern World. The Journal of Modern History, 86(3), 635-661. DOI: 10.1086/676134

2. Sengupta, S., & Bhattacharjee, S. (2019). Necessity and Innovation in the Digital Age: Understanding Technological Transformations. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 145, 487-496. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2019.03.025

3. Smith, J. K. (2017). Invention and Creativity in the Modern World. The Innovation Journal, 22(2), 1-19.

4. Owen, D. (2016). Necessity and Invention: The Challenges and Opportunities of Sustainable Development. World Development, 83, 204-218. DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2016.01.008

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5. Simonton, D. K. (2019). Creativity and the Modern World: A Historical Perspective. Journal of Creative Behavior, 53(1), 1-19. DOI: 10.1002/jocb.373