The case for technological imperfections

Abstract

Historically, it was only the presence of imperfections in flint that enabled them to be shaped into our first Stone Age tools, as fracture of perfect flints would have been impossible. The use of fire for cooking equally revealed the presence of metals and silicates in ores and experience slowly introduced the complex fields of metallurgy and simple glasses. Historically, all later advances followed this initial pattern by revealing that we needed traces of imperfections and impurities. In essence, there are very close parallels with cookery and the needs for traces of salt and spices. The influence of tiny minorities is no different in society where individuals, and their political dominance, can control and influence millions of other people (as for impurities in modern technologies).