--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is Human history, if not an ongoing…" description: "\"“What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of greater technologies grinding lesser ones beneath their boots?”\" — Peter Watts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg" --- # What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of… ![“What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of greater technologies grinding lesser ones beneath their boots?” quote by Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg) > ““What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of greater technologies grinding lesser ones beneath their boots?”” [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human progress is driven by newer technologies that dominate older ones. **In simple terms:** New tech replaces old tech. Key Takeaway Embrace innovation. Themes technology progress history Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - business strategy - technology adoption - historical analysis - future forecasting Key Concepts disruption innovation evolution Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance preserving useful legacy systems? - What drives societies to adopt new tech quickly? A Different Perspective Older methods may retain value in niche contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Human history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-history/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [I think that to a very great extent we are partners with the divine in this enterprise called history. 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Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin-2/) > [If you look at all of the villains in the course of human history, they've all believed, delusionally, in the virtue of their actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/if-you-look-at-all-of-the-villains-in-the-course-of-human-history/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [The uniqueness of the United States in human history is the United States is the first global power in human history which emerged far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ahmet-davutoglu/the-uniqueness-of-the-united-states-in-human-history-is-the-united/) [Ahmet Davutoglu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ahmet-davutoglu/) > [“Human history’s the most funny and yet the most tragic discovery will be the discovery of the religious people that all religions are man-made!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/human-history-s-the-most-funny-and-yet-the-most-tragic-discovery-will/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Plague has hung over human history. 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We're not thinking machines, we're - we're feeling machines that happen to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/people-aren-t-rational-we-re-not-thinking-machines-we-re-we-re/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“You are all sleepwalkers, whether climbing creative peaks or slogging through some mundane routine for the thousandth time. You are all sleepwalkers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/you-are-all-sleepwalkers-whether-climbing-creative-peaks-or-slogging/) [Peter Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/) > [“Evolution has no foresight. Complex machinery develops its own agendas. Brains — cheat. 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It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of greater technologies grinding lesser ones beneath their boots?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing-succession-of-greater/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing-succession-of-greater/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/628/peter-watts-4020_history_what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing_966906.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is Human history, if not an ongoing succession of greater technologies grinding lesser ones beneath…” — Peter Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Peter Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What is Human history, if not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing-succession-of-greater/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-watts/what-is-human-history-if-not-an-ongoing-succession-of-greater/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```