If a disaster left us with pre-industrial technology, could we become advanced again?

[rtxoff]

I don't know if that's been mentioned before, but the Long Now Foundation has several projects set up for just the kind of disaster discussed here. Its Manual for Civilisation initiative is a repository of all techs + languages, and necessary knowledge to kickstart civilisation back to our current level.

Yes but them can get destroyed too, what then? Also there is no data storage medium that can save data for an indefinitely time period.

Here a quick and not complete list of different storage medias and their lifespan:

Magnetic data and cassette tapes: 10-20 years

Nintendo Cartridge: up to 10 years

Floppy Disk: 10-20 years

CDs and DVDs: 5-10 unrecorded 2-5 recorded

Blu-Ray: Not certain, probably over 2-5 recorded

M-Disc: 1,000 years (theoretically)

Hard Disk: 3-5 years

Flash Storage: Depends on write cycles, 5-10 years or more

Even the 1000 years of the M-Disc seem a rather short period for me to save all the knowledge of humanity. There are many scenarios that will require a longer timespan for this to work.

[Red Iron Crown]

We'd definitely progress quicker. It took them quite a while to implement important innovations like standardised parts during the actual industrial revolution. We'd not only know that we should be doing it from day one, we'd already have the standards to use.

Likely a lot of parts and tools that could be scavenged, for that matter. But yeah, we would be recreating the industrial revolution rather than starting from scratch, just knowing about standardized parts and assembly lines would put us up on the original industrial revolution.

[Seret]

I've just had visions of folks in a water mill arguing over Lean and 6-sigma.

[RockoDyne]

Most countries actually get almost none of their electricity from oil.

Most countries don't burn petroleum for electricity generation. That's true, but just about ever step in the supply chain uses oil in some form. No mine is powered by machines running on pixie dust yet. Even if you switched those machines over to natural gas, those tires have to require at least a drum of oil each to make.

The biggest issue is loss of knowledge. All it takes is a couple generations before most to all knowledge required for daily life is lost. If the internet is dead and most people now no longer live remotely close to a library because no one can grow enough in a derelict city, there goes most of modern industry.

How far technology backpedals is mostly dependent on what transport remains and what resources are easily accessible.

[Laie]

It said in the first post and the topic title that the disaster left us with pre industrial technology. There would be no useable scraps left if that was true.

Baloney.

It's quite possible that something eradicates mankind and leaves nothing but things, but I can't think up a scenarion that reliably destroys everything (or even most things) yet leaves anybody alive. In short: if there are survivors, there will be artifacts from the previous age. Artifacts can serve as scrap and give people ideas.

Regarding oil and other resources: renewable energies go a long way, and it's possible to cook up every conceivable carbohydrate from straw. In our world, there's no need to do this, with oil being abundant and cheap; but the people who have to start over may find it easier to synthesize things. With a smaller population, it might actually work.

[linkxsc]

The biggest issue is loss of knowledge. All it takes is a couple generations before most to all knowledge required for daily life is lost. If the internet is dead and most people now no longer live remotely close to a library because no one can grow enough in a derelict city, there goes most of modern industry.

How far technology backpedals is mostly dependent on what transport remains and what resources are easily accessible.

Well you could work with nonrubber wheels, could probably go outside with soem scrap and make up a paddle-type wheel that you see on older tractors, but the argument still stands. The biggest thing about the modern age is our ability to move crap, and thats really all thats helped us become so advanced.

On the note of knowledge... I don't really think that "knowledge for daily life" is a good term. Because what is required for daily life? If your talking about trades, food and materials production. These are the things that even though people don't think about much, they atleast have some idea of how it works. Just many of these things are no part in the... first world lifestyle. Lack of a library doesn't really mean you'd be held back so much. Heck by just going and taking a tally of the skills of everyone in say your apartment building, you might be surprised what everyone knows about or has done before. Yes ultimately there is a limit to what a small group can do. But assuming you don't go full ...... (like very post apocalyptic movie and such likes to show) and instead work with other neighboring groups, trading knowledge and resources as needed. And even then, just look at the books people may have around their houses. Most people who work in some kind of trade have at least some books relating to what they do around that can be learned from, even a lot of "office workers" often have some more useful hobby outside of their job.

[RockoDyne]

Well you could work with nonrubber wheels, could probably go outside with soem scrap and make up a paddle-type wheel that you see on older tractors, but the argument still stands. The biggest thing about the modern age is our ability to move crap, and thats really all thats helped us become so advanced.

On the note of knowledge... I don't really think that "knowledge for daily life" is a good term. Because what is required for daily life? If your talking about trades, food and materials production. These are the things that even though people don't think about much, they atleast have some idea of how it works. Just many of these things are no part in the... first world lifestyle. Lack of a library doesn't really mean you'd be held back so much. Heck by just going and taking a tally of the skills of everyone in say your apartment building, you might be surprised what everyone knows about or has done before. Yes ultimately there is a limit to what a small group can do. But assuming you don't go full ...... (like very post apocalyptic movie and such likes to show) and instead work with other neighboring groups, trading knowledge and resources as needed. And even then, just look at the books people may have around their houses. Most people who work in some kind of trade have at least some books relating to what they do around that can be learned from, even a lot of "office workers" often have some more useful hobby outside of their job.

The loss of knowledge I was talking about was the generational loss of knowledge, relating to how much non-relevant information gets passed on to the next generation. After two generations who have only lived in the dark, they will only know electricity as the thing their grandparents told stories about. Hell, them talking about it would probably sound like yoda with the force.

A historical example would be western swords. There are zero account of any of the forging processes used for making swords. All that modern swordsmiths have to go on is a rough understanding of the techniques that were uses like fold welding and pattern welding.