Nice reply, yes you are absolutely right. I was being very general, and probably a little judgemental. I refer to the masses. Sure over time there have always been thinkers, inventors, creators and changers. We have come up with some amazing things in the past.
I love evolution and human history. I try and picture the first person who figured out that we can grow grasses instead of just collecting the seed and eating them. Obviously someone had a "lights on" moment to then lead to agriculture. And who would have thought we could have made metal from rocks. Probably someone saw a liquid oozing from a red hot rock on the fire and wondered.
The Chinese yes, and the thinkers in Greek history that came up with all the things we use today. It goes to show when thinking is encouraged, what it can lead to. But then for about a thousand years or more thinking was not encouraged, in fact you were punished if you discovered something new or thought of something different. You were a heretic and burned at the stake or dragged off to the inquisition.
Thinkers have always been here. I'm sure if I was born a thousand years ago I would still be a thinker. You either are or you aren't. A drone. Occasionally someone can make the transformation.
But these days I feel children aren't encouraged to think, just to accept. To fill in spare time there is a never ending stream of entertainment of all forms. Kids don't have much time to think. They are too busy playing video games or listening to music, watching TV or "talking" on Facebook.
I am blessed with being a thinker although I wasn't very deep at a young age, I was pretty normal. I am just pointing out that for the VERY FIRST TIME IN HISTORY, all the information and answers are there right in front of us and most chose not to want to know. Many people have never tuned to SBS or ABC TV. They don't know what the Hubble is. As I said they don't even know what a star is. That's what my point is. It's sad but typical human ignorance.
And yes I agree that the non thinkers can work so we can be left to think.
