
Why did we wait so long for the cotton gin? (2017) - tnorthcutt
https://rootsofprogress.org/why-did-we-wait-so-long-for-the-cotton-gin
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dreary_dugong
Slightly tangential, but I've always wondered something similar: why did we
wait so long for the printing press? The technology is essentially the same as
coin pressing, which has existed for much longer.

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jcranmer
The primary limitation on the printing press, as I understand it, was actually
the development of durable type molds. This was the contribution that Johannes
Gutenberg made to the development of printing, both the development of a new
alloy for the type and the development of the matrix system for rapidly
casting type.

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notlukesky
People with engineering mindsets were in urban (non-farm) areas. One has to be
introduced to the problem first to then ponder and think of a solution.
Solutions do not exist in vacuums. That is why interaction and “socialization”
with problems is so important to inventions, innovations and ultimately
progress.

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Finnucane
Plantation owners weren't farmers in the sense that they themselves were
actually out working the fields, and since they had set up a system where
labor and capital expense were conflated (i.e., labor was treated in the same
category as farm animals or machines) they didn't place a priority on 'labor
saving' systems until the time and maintenance cost became an issue.

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TomMckenny
This effect can not be over stated. Plantation owners never invented the
cotton gin in spite of the vast numbers of them and decades of cotton raising.

I suspect there were additional social issues at play as well. For example,
plantation owners, being at the top of the social hierarchy have less
incentive to invent. Also that tier typically views tinkering and mechanics as
lower status and so would avoid it on principle: prestige was based on land
size and number of other people owned. Certainly not number of new ideas.

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jasode
I made an earlier comment about the related concept: _" adjacent possible"_:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20444151](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20444151)

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beefman
I can't reply there, but the phrase was coined by Stuart Kauffman, not Steven
Johnson.

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mdonahoe
That chicken-based moment of insight makes for a very entertaining read.

I’d love to watch a TV show where every episode is a different eureka.

The closest I have right now is to binge watch Rick&Morty and How It’s Made.

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ajuc
There is a very similar device used to straighten threads in wool. I wonder if
it was invented earlier or if it was inspired by the cotton gin.

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zaroth
It seems quite disputed that the cotton gin was invented in only 10 days.

Apparently the “overnight success” founding myth was alive and well even in
the 1700s.

Another interesting note, is that Greene went bankrupt trying to defend and
monetize the patent.

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boona
Because cotton makes for a terrible tasting gin!

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March_f6
An excellent case study of what can happen when an engineer's ethical
framework amounts to: "does it work?", given the cotton gin's impact on
slavery. To think, if only it was invented after the civil war.

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March_f6
Interesting to be down-voted for this comment.

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tlb
You might get a better response by saying something constructive, such as how
Whitney could have predicted its effect on society given what was known at the
time. Because it’s easy to _want_ to have an ethical framework that results in
good outcomes for everyone, but predicting outcomes is very hard.

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March_f6
Predicting outcomes is one thing. Putting the two questions: "Should I do
something?" and "Can I do something?" on equal footing is another. Maybe don't
conflate wishful thinking and foresight. And as far as the statement of a fact
being constructive or nonconstructive, maybe don't conflate those things
either.

