I don’t think See is a good analogue. I haven’t watched it, but my understanding is that they go from a sighted world to a non-sighted world. A lot of our world, for example, the whole supply chain, is built on people being able to see. It breaks down when people can no longer see. And it would take a pretty long time to redevelop technology once we’ve lost it.

However, if no one had sight to begin with, we would have developed technologies usable by those without sight, that did not rely on sight to operate correctly, assuming, of course, we made it out of the Stone Age. Under the assumption that humans started without sight, we’d probably actually develop stronger senses to compensate. Tools and technology would look different, and some things would probably take longer to develop, but I think humanity would still, eventually, evolve advanced technologies like we have now, though with a different focus (eg no reason to develop video cameras, but lots of reason to develop audio recording).

Well I know of blind people who build computers, a electrician and computer programmer. I think it says more about how people think of the visually impaired.

I don't think it is, honestly. We've got to remember how dangerous the pre-civilisation world was: pre-historic humans lived and hunted in competition with all the worlds predators. Unless we'd also evolved hearing to bat level it seems unlikely that we would even have passed that stage.

I'm saying this as a totally blind person.

Had humans evolved without a certain sense, not strictly limited to sight, assuming we still survived in the world (perhaps evolving other senses?), I don't believe there is any reason to think we would not have developed advanced technology, but that technology, how we interact with it, and how it interacts with the world could be much different than what we know now. Computers themselves might be more difficult to build in the first place - semiconductor fabrication is primarily based on photolithography which requires a solid grasp of optics. Maybe some theoretical understanding of waves, electromagnetism, etc. would have led to the same endpoint? Hard to say, but fun to think about. Once we had some compute capabilities, instead of having spent time and money on screens/display technologies, perhaps computer's language processing capabilities, or even brain computer interfaces, would be far more advanced, changing how we interact with the world.

Without giving away spoilers, Project Hail Mary explores a possible answer to this question in a lovely way. The audiobook is one of the best ever made.

I watched only the first episode of See, but I found it odd that a show that I was told depicted how blind people could live without the need of sighted help, ended with a sighted person saving them. At least in the first episode.

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I'm almost certain we wouldn't have survived.

Crocodiles in the rivers, snakes in the bushes, wolves in the forests, tigers in the jungle. We'd have to sniff out strawberries because we wouldn't be able to see where they are.

With no way to hunt and no way to farm we would forage for sustenance. No cities or towns because we'd be nomads, always searching for the next apple tree. No domesticated horses, no arrows or slings, no fur for clothing, no meat in our diet, no shelter against the storm.

We wouldn't have made it out of the trees. And I'm not sure we'd even do well *in* the trees - the leopards would be waiting for us at the water hole.

Humanity has built a world where the blind can safely thrive, but let's be honest - we couldn't have built it by ourselves. We wouldn't have survived.

Things would be different, but blind folks are some of the most forward thinking creative group. Things would be possibly even more advanced than what we see now.

Well, it is if you only account for one way of developing technology. If a society has no need for visual tech, then yeah it wouldn’t be developed but that doesn’t necessarily mean that tech wouldn’t move forward, just that it would look different and have different purposes. Blind or disabled knowledge isn’t lesser just because it’s a different way of experiencing life.

Tv is rarely a good representation of disability.

Well they are having sighted people become blind. If the society had been made up of blind people from the start it would have been different.

One of the plot points of the horror novel Bird Box has to do with blind people.

I'd have to say the show sounds ableist but I'd haven't seen it, so I don't know for sure.

The other part of see I don’t see here is there is lots of superstition and cult like behavior. It’s not simply the people lost sight and the world crumbled. They have a fear/hatred of books and learning. I don’t want to go too far into spoiler territory but it’s not just sight loss. I don’t see this as an accurate representation of what would happen if the world lost its sight.

I think over time we'd develop technology, just differently. And for different reasons.

For example without sight, we would never have seen the stars, so the concept of a giant void beyond our world, filled with other worlds would occur much later along in development. Interestingly enough, once radio waves were created and started being used, we would have very similar tech to what we already use to see the further stars.

Our early technology actually had very little visual focus all things considered. Radar for example is great for a society without sight, simply adapted to a hearing format result instead of visual. I think we also would have developed more tactile tech over the course of our enlightenment.

Sight absolutely influenced how our technology developed, but ultimately we would have developed tech anyway. Our greatest asset as a species isn't our sight or hearing or anything like that. It's our curiosity and critical thinking skills.

I'd say the more ableist thing is treating disabilities like a thought exercise that could never happen to you while asking condescending little questions about if we like to be represented in media

Yeah it is, because he truth is the same percentage of genius’s and builders occur in blind then sighted. So if everyone was blind we would have loads of advancement, but likely in different directions. Imagine what an amazing world it would be!

No. Think about how many discoveries or advancements came from visual aid. Two that come to mind. Eratosthenes calculating the curvature of earth by measuring shadows or Alexander Fleming noticing mold killing harmful bacteria (hello penicillin). Without sight, these and many other discoveries would never have happened.

It's not that simple. You're asking if the past has followed a different path we would end up in the same place. Not very likely.

I'm not saying we would still be using rocks and sticks today as main tools, I'm just saying that we probably would have different stuff today. Stuff that would work for blind people. Our stuff is 99% targeted to not blind people.

Interesting question, thanks for asking it.
I wonder how we would have survived through the hunter gatherer phase but if we assume that we did I wonder how medical technology would have developed. Most of what we know in modern medicine is based on better optics and imaging. Was there another way to get to this same level of knowledge using another sense? I can't imagine it happening but I'm open fyi hearing others ideas.
To me everyone has limitations. I can't drive, tell you if a line is straight, if something is level... Others grapple with bad backs, addiction, depression, obesity...
I'm okay with the thought experiment, even if it doesn't paint me as being as able because of a disability. Honesty isnt judgemental.

I don't know what it is with society and making us look like we're useless. I taught myself how to code about 4 years ago and it's something you could do with even no vision. There are so many things we can do but are discredited for because of such stereotypes. Idk but I think the show sounds ableist from the description but I don't have Apple TV to make my own judgements.

I think humans would have just found a different way of going forward. The biggest power our species is adapting to whatever comes

I don’t see why it couldn’t be. Technical skills and building technology is not limited to sighted people only.

People are people and I think we could have come up with the same ingenuity.

Not to be harsh but this seems like a pointless hypothetical question that isn’t really what this sub is about. If others here disagree, that’s fine. I don’t speak for anybody but me LOL

Well I know of blind people who build computers, a electrician and computer programmer. I think it says more about how people think of the visually impaired.