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Ask HN: Which period of humanity would you like omniscience?

4 points by ghastmaster ↗ HN
If you could have complete knowledge of any period in human history listed below, which would you pick? This knowledge cannot be used or shared. It is simply knowledge for the sake of knowledge.

Roughly:

  64 MYA - 5 MYA
  5 MYA - 800,000 BC
  800,000 BC - 100,000 BC
  100,000 BC - 10,000 BC
  10,000 BC - 2,000 BC
  2,000 BC - 0
  0 - 700 AD
  700 - 1492
  1492 - 1776
  1776 - 1919
  1919 - Present day
  Present day - 2150
I chose these dates based on how I roughly delineate important sections of history. There is more wiggle room as we travel backwards. I of course have a hard time picking one period as they are all fascinating. There have been so many mysteries in the post WWI period that I have to pick 1919 - Present day. Maybe their relevance to me reveals a self centered part of my self.

12 comments

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p1esk
What do you mean this knowledge cannot be used?

I’d pick “present - 2150”, but I don’t see how it is possible for me not to use that knowledge.

benlivengood
Sounds pretty awful to know exactly how and why I die, but can't do anything about it. I think this whole thing is a false-choice dilemma.
ghastmaster
> What do you mean this knowledge cannot be used?

The knowledge will not be able to affect the outcome of your present, past, or future.

> ...but I don’t see how it is possible for me not to use that knowledge.

I don't see how it is possible for you to gain omniscience either.

p1esk
No, I mean, if I know my future it would definitely affect my actions. Does this mean I'm "using" this knowledge?
ghastmaster
> Does this mean I'm "using" this knowledge?

Yes

> ...if I know my future it would definitely affect my actions

Not if I, as the originator of the question, say it cannot.

p1esk
Can you explain? Do I lose free will or something?
feet
Free will does not exist

If we have knowledge of something, there is no way that it could not impact our behavior. The brain just doesn't work like that

mikewarot
I want to know what happened at the end of the Younger Dryas... but I'd want to be able to tell people about it.

100,000 BC - 10,000 BC

slolean13
2000BC-0: A lot of interesting religious and spiritual movement happened during this period generally the dharmic religious movement in Indian subcontinent viz. Buddhism, Vedic, Jains etc. Would love to know the path they took during "realization" and "enlightenment". I have my theories around these but would love to see if these actually worked.I can use that knowledge for myself though??!
p0d
0-700AD.

I'll be the one. The Jesus fan. There has to be at least one for a question like this ;-)

I would like to know about Jesus's early life and the birth of the church after his resurrection. What did the church get right? What crept in that caused problems? I imagine we would see history repeating itself as often the case.

whitesilhouette
10k - 2k BC Humanity advanced so much during this period, Egypt, Iraq, India, China, etc. that it surprises humans as modern as of today (who consider Aliens helped them achieve such feat).

I also want to know what went wrong that the whole world went back to being illiterate villagers soon after that. (I'm betting my money on climate change).

My second choice is 2k BC - 0 because of similar reasons as mentioned by @slolean13