The invention of moveable type for printing European languages in the mid 1400's was followed by an accelerated stream of progress throughout the world. Until that point, the only way people knew how to write was by hand, which was very expensive and time consuming. Therefore, not many books were produced and few people learned how to read. Books became a sign of status and wealth as monks and priests were virtually the only ones who were able to convey and pass on ideas non-verbally.
Once moveable type was invented in Europe and used to develop the printing press, the cost of producing written materials became cheaper. The idea that books were only for the rich and powerful was replaced by the idea that everyone should be able to read. Books became more readily available and further encouraged more people to learn to read. It is estimated that after the printing press was invented, a staggering three fifths of the English population knew how to read, compared to only a small handful just a few decades before.1 Also impressive is the fact that it took only a generation for printing to spread to most of the European continent. Before the printing press, it would have taken an indefinite number of years for this many people to be able to read. There was no real growth rate occurring.
Before this increase in printed materials and surge in literacy, people did not have books to communicate and demonstrate ideas with. Progress in many areas of life was relatively slow because people could not share their ideas with many people very effectively. On a very basic level, the printing press made ideas and information able to spread more quickly to a greater number of people.
One historian, Steinberg, asserts that "neither political, constitutional, ecclesiastical, and economic events, nor sociological, philosophical, and literary movements can be fully understood without taking into account the influence the printing press has exerted upon them."2 We must remember, however, that a lot of the events which have transpired since the invention of the printing press are connected to each other.
The printing press greatly changed the way that scientific and technical information was circulated, discussed and improved upon. The printing press helped standardize this information, which meant that such items as calendars, maps, dictionaries and mathematical tables could reach more people and attain a higher degree of accuracy during the Enlightenment, or Age of Reason, in Europe.
Because this somewhat objective information became so widespread and people were exposed to the same data, it became more widely accepted as accurate. If books contained errors, there was a greater chance that someone would recognize them since they were exposed to a larger audience. Authors did not have to start from scratch each time they wanted to include new ideas or sources of information or remove ideas that were no longer considered appropriate.
People were also able to respond to ideas in these books and give feedback to their authors. This, combined with a greater technical facility to correct and edit existing writings, allowed people to generate improved editions of books. This idea is very important because it changed the way people thought about the idea of progress itself. The "International Encyclopedia of Communications" asserts that "it seems likely that the invention of printing contributed to an increasing acceptance of the idea of progress and a fading away of the earlier 'decay-of-nature' theme."3 The idea of progress was now more about being critical of existing ideas and making changes to it but also using it to build upon. For example, mapping the earth and codifying laws was done more accurately and efficiently due in part to this new idea of progress.
The idea that more people should be educated and literate became accepted by more people. Reading and learning became practical skills for t! he masses, as opposed to a necessity to the clergy or a luxury for the elite. The printing press allowed more books and ideas to circulate, which helped increase the usefulness of education and the number of people becoming educated. For instance, from 1400 to 1500, the number of students attending German universities quadrupled. This was representative of most of Europe.4 Even farmers learned how to read manuals which discussed farming techniques.
The invention of the printing press also affected the economy. Previously, economic trade was based on physical commodities, goods and services. Printing helped produce a new kind of economy which was based on selling information. Although this happened slowly, it was the precursor for the widespread selling of books, newspapers and today's media. All of our communications activities through the internet also originated with this concept.
People began to believe that literacy was the key to faster economic, social and political progress. Researcher Daniel Lerner surveyed six Middle Eastern countries in the 1950's and found that "literacy is the basic personal skill that underlies the whole modernizing sequence."5 In 1914, the United States government began to support adult education initiatives, passing the Smith-Lever Act. Even this process of legislation was a result of democracy, which relies on the idea that people are educated and can meaningfully participate in their decisions. Democracy itself was a result of the social progress the occurred since the printing press was invented as more people became educated.
As countries passed laws requiring literacy and education, literacy rates soared. By the middle of the 20th century, 98-99% of the adult population in North and West Europe could read. In Russia literacy went from 33% in 1914 to 99% 40 years later. In Turkey, laws were passed requiring primary education for its people and quickly led to a substantial drop in illiteracy between 1928-1960. In Cuba, illiteracy was eradicated entirely between 1961-1962.
The change in the way people thought about literacy and education led to increased literacy and education and faster economic and social progress. "Literacy serves not only as a multiplier in economic development but also as both index and agent of modernization."6 Mass scientific and social developments through today are a continuation of the stream of progress that moveable type started. A few examples are personal computers, airplanes, medicines, food production devices, universal education, water filtration and purification systems and cyberspace. In short, these include everything that has in any way relied on the concept of widespread information exchange.
These are just some of the events that benefited humanity which the printing press helped to influence. They are too numerous to fully describe here, and have continued to make a rapid stream of progress happen through today. The main purpose of this example is to demonstrate the super-charged speed of progress that can come with a simple idea, discovery or invention. We also want to show that progress feeds upon itself and makes more progress happen even faster.
A Readable Feast: Implications of Moveable Type
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1 The New Cambridge Modern History vol II. Cambridge University Press. 1958. p. 4.
2 Eisenstein, Elizabeth. The Printing Press as an Agent of Change vol. I. Cambridge University Press. 1979 p. 7.
3 International Encyclopedia of Communications vol. III. Oxford University Press. 1989. p. 368.
4 The New Cambridge Modern History vol. II. Cambridge University Press. 1958. p. 4.
5 The Encyclopedia of Education vol. IV. The Macmillan Company and the Free Press. 1971. p. 538.
6 ibid.
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