In William Rosen's masterful new book, The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of
Steam, Industry, and Invention, the most powerful idea is not
the invention of the steam engine. Rather, the title refers to the
development of the concept that ideas can be property, and that through
the availability of patent law and capital, individuals tinkerers can
become industrial scale innovators.
Rosen notes that: "From 1700 to 2000, the world's population has increased twelvefold - but its production of goods and services a hundredfold". (page 316) Will the innovations around digital technology, from cheap and powerful mobile computing devices to robust cloud based applications, bring about a commensurate rise in productivity as the industrial revolution? The steam engine allowed the cost of energy to come down rapidly, through its original use as the power source to pump out coal mines to its subsequent use in locomotives to bring down the costs of transporting coal. Today, it is less clear if digital technologies can bring about similar improvements in the productivity of education (increased access and quality at reduced costs), that the steam engine did for energy productivity in the 18th and 19th centuries.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Blog U.: The Most Powerful Idea in the World - Technology and Learning - Inside Higher Ed
Author: Joshua Kim
