Exercise:
Time-binding refers to the unique human capability to improve and progress over time through the use of symbols, language, etc. Because of books, diagrams, blueprints, plans, music, art, etc., each generation can build on the accumulated knowledge developed/discovered by previous generations.
The premise of this exercise is that the rate of human progress really began to take off in the 17th century with the widespread application of science, or a scientific approach.
Two methods may illustrate this premise. The first would be to consider a timeline of recorded history (for example, from 500 B.C. to today), and try to draw a simple graph that reflects, in 100-year increments, how similar/different life was at each hundred-year point compared to the prior period.
Another method would be to construct a "time-binding timeline" as shown below in the example. Make a list of xx notable People, Periods, Events and Discoveries (inventions, achievements, etc.) you can think of. Plot each person or event you've listed on a timeline of history, from 500 B.C. to the present. What inferences, insights, observations can you make?
