Where are the modern wonders that will last the ages?

[Alone]

Like someone said earlier....big whoop. So what if we can build things bigger. Give me a bigger bulldozer I'll dig a deeper hole, etc etc.

I'd like to see you dig a decent hole with a bull dozer.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

So you're saying the pyramids were easy to build?

Show me were I said that.

They made enough money to make a decent living[CITATION NEEDED], they were happy[CITATION NEEDED], they made an everlasting contribution...how many of us could say we've done things that meet that criteria?

I bet that at least thousands of individuals made far more important contributions to mankind than the average laborer did at Giza. If they were happy, it was because they did not know any better. You could call the pyramids a wonderful achievement on the basis of engineering alone, of course. To say that the USA and other modern countries are losing a vital aspect of nationhood by lacking a like achievement (which is what I was arguing against) is ridiculous, when humanity has evolved to aspire for far greater.

 

[TridenT]

Pollution.

 

[Alone]

Show me were I said that.

No, I'm saying that large arrangements of stones aren't the epitome of symbolic human accomplishment.

To me that implies that their work wasn't above the usual standard. They built something amazing for their time.

While we might not appreciate their ingenuity in our time, you can't ignore the fact that it was one of the few creations that withstood the test of time, and is still amazing. To me, creating something that was truly unexpected is as close to human accomplishment as it gets.

 

[Alone]

You could call the pyramids a wonderful achievement on the basis of engineering alone, of course.

That is what I'm saying. And their willingness to contribute is equally amazing. Obviously they believed in what they were building. I'm not sure I can believe you in thinking that the labourers of today are better than those who created truly amazing things then.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Like someone said earlier....big whoop. So what if we can build things bigger. Give me a bigger bulldozer I'll dig a deeper hole, etc etc.

What I find amazing now is the miniturization of almost everything, from cpus, cameras, and everything else. Will these stand the test of time? Who knows, but I find some of these discoveries simply amazing.

Not commenting on big vs small, but discoveries are easily just as significant an accomplishment. Greece has lost the Colossus of Rhodes, not standing the test of time Alone values so much, but they have not lost the works of the brilliant minds that were produced in their culture.

 

[Alone]

not standing the test of time Alone values so much

Tell me where I even mentioned the test of time. Oh, wait, you can't.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

That is what I'm saying. And their willingness to contribute is equally amazing. Obviously they believed in what they were building. I'm not sure I can believe you in thinking that the labourers of today are better than those who created truly amazing things then.

I said nothing of the laborers of Egypt being inferior. I'm saying that they were poor people exploited in an era were some humans were believed to be gods and most mere fodder. Their belief in those gods is no better than the illogical beliefs people still carry today. No one would scoff at Michelangelo's art, but praising the Catholic Church for providing a commission for him to labor for the Pope is disgusting.

EDIT: And yes, the analogy isn't perfect because painters are both designers and laborers in the context of this discussion, but it gets my point across. I am disgusted at the future man that looks back in time at Italy and admires only the work of force.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

test of time

...

 

[Alone]

...

Hmm, didn't realize I said that.

I suppose now you win. Carry on, sir.

 

[arkcom]

Tell me where I even mentioned the test of time. Oh, wait, you can't.

To me that implies that their work wasn't above the usual standard. They built something amazing for their time.

While we might not appreciate their ingenuity in our time, you can't ignore the fact that it was one of the few creations that withstood the test of time, and is still amazing. To me, creating something that was truly unexpected is as close to human accomplishment as it gets.

???

Edit: I'm slow.

 

[edro]

Lots of ignorance in this thread. The pyramids were built by workers, not slaves.

That's a theory, just as slave labor is a theory.
Just because the paid workers theory is the most recent doesn't make it a fact.
You are just as ignorant as everyone else.


My vote is for the Grand Canyon. It was carved by Paul Bunyon's axe.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

there are 2 things on this planet that will outlast anything else, including piles of nuclear fuel, mount rushmore and hoover dam combined:
the carving in stone mountain, georgia and a bank's stack of gold bricks. they will easily survive long enough to be swallowed by plate tectonics, should that be possible.

the flag on the moon and the voyagers can potentially last longer, preserved in space but vulnerable to impact. i'm not sure if solar radiation would deteriorate the moon artifacts or not (prob not the gold).

 

[The Boston Dangler]

That's a theory, just as slave labor is a theory.
Just because the paid workers theory is the most recent doesn't make it a fact.
You are just as ignorant as everyone else.


My vote is for the Grand Canyon. It was carved by Paul Bunyon's axe.

actually, slaves building the pyramids was a hypothesis, and skilled workers building the pyramids is a proven theory. you are just as ignorant as everyone else

 

[ichy]

I've always thought of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Cape Canaveral as our country's equivalent to the great pyramids.

 

[Pray To Jesus]

yucan mtn once it fills up w radioactve

 

[zinfamous]

Dubai?

lol. I kid, I kid!

 

[zinfamous]

Mount Rushmore, Hoover Dam. All I can think of at the moment.

Hoover Dam is a slave to the environment. It requires constant maintenance to keep it going. Only a few years of neglect would see it falling to pieces.

 

[zinfamous]

actually, slaves building the pyramids was a hypothesis, and skilled workers building the pyramids is a proven theory. you are just as ignorant as everyone else

I *think* the prevailing understanding is that many of the people involved were highly-skilled professionals. at least--the engineers, artists (who designed the wall interiors), blacksmiths, priests, embalmers, potters, etc.

I'm not too sure about Cairo, but I know at the Valley of the Kings (Tutt, Ramsees, etc), the laborers' village is unearthed. These people lived here there entire lives, their entire work and lives being put into building the tombs of the Pharoahs (note: this is not the pyramids. some 2-3000 years later, I believe). Honestly, I think that any "signs of pride" being found in the stone, attributed to the workers that built these tombs, is likely the work of the masons and artists that made the stone--not the laborers that put them into place.

 

[tigersty1e]

Using the mouse for fps games.

 

[sdifox]

Burj Dubai?

I don't see that standing for hundreds of years. Forget thousands.