What Was the Greatest Era for Innovation? A Brief
Guided Tour
Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air
travel or mobile phones?
We’re in the golden age of innovation, an era in which digital
technology is transforming the underpinnings of human existence.
Or so a techno-optimist might argue.
We’re in a depressing era in which innovation has slowed
and living standards are barely rising. That’s what some skeptical
economists believe.
The truth is, this isn’t a debate that can be settled objectively.
Which was a more important innovation: indoor plumbing, jet air
travel or mobile phones? You could argue for any of them, and
data can tell plenty of different stories depending on how you look
at it. Productivity statistics or information on inflation-adjusted
incomes is helpful, but can’t really tell you whether the advent of
air-conditioning or the Internet did more to improve humanity’s
quality of life. […]
(Source: Neil Irwin, at “The NY Times”. Retrieved at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/upshot/what-was-the-greatest-era-foramerican-innovation-a-brief-guided-tour.html)