First tool: a rock someone found
this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2025
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
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- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
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This is a good shower thought, and I'm not knocking it.
A rock is a tool. A stick is a tool. Some rocks are naturally sharp (flint and obsidian) and are different kinds of tools. Any physical object found in nature could be a tool, and other animals exhibit tool use.
Taking two different kinds of rocks and carefully hitting one with the other can improve the naturally occurring tool, and I think that's why your thought is insightful (although, not unique). Knapping isn't rocket science, and it doesn't require anything more than one of several special kinds of rocks and a second rock, but it does require skill, and that comes through practice. I don't think it was probably a deep thought to think "I could make this sharp-edged rock more useful with a little chipping," but it certainly qualifies as "inventing inventing tools."
They had to invent inventing first.
Before that they had to invent invent inventing.
Kinda what I was going for but I don't think I phrased it right.
meaning they had to have a concept of inside and ventilation, which is wild. how else would they have invented in vent?
The start of all survival games:
Make axe.
Punch tree
Press E to gather
In The Long Dark, making an improvised axe is more a midgame item. Gotta find a forge and a heavy hammer, then enough coal. Not to mention stocking up food and water for the wait while you heat it up and craft it.
Sounds like someone wanted to make the experience very legit.
This reminds me of a short story/presentation by computer scientist Ken Thompson titled, "Reflections on Trusting Trust".
It's worth reading but basically we use software to create software. We trust that the software we use to create software can be trusted. We have the source code, but that's just words on paper, it doesn't do anything. We have to use software to turn that code into software.
To light a campfire take a burning stick and apply it to the pile of tinder and dry wood. Where do you get a burning stick? Place one in a campfire.
They used natures bounty as tools to invent tools to invent more tools
"Let's invent a thing inventor", said the thing inventor inventor after being invented by a thing inventor.
Sure. But inventing tools doesn't require you to have tools, so it doesn't make it more impressive.
That's basically what the How to Make Everything YouTube channel is about.
They are only inventing tools. They are not inventing the concept of inventing tools.
Still very cool and impressive
Fair point. Missed an "invent" in your title 😅.
grog did it in a cave! with a box of flint!
I mean, a good enough rock can be considered a tool. Same as an antler or a bone.
That happened so long ago that we wouldn't even call those people "human".