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Civilizations
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Foundations · branch

Language & writing

You cannot have democracy without literacy. Elon’s own Civilization example is the prerequisite made folk.

This hangs on First principles.

See on the tree

Civilization, the game, makes the point with a lock. Writing before literature. Literature before the Great Library. Literacy before the civic techs that need a public able to read the law.

On 6 August 2023, answering a thanks to Sid Meier for the tech tree, he wrote that the game showed outstanding insight into the stepping stones of actual civilizational growth. That is dated, and his. The 2015 AMA already named Civ as a favorite, in the same session as the semantic-tree sentence.

In 2016, to Sam Altman, he named what happens when the lock rusts. Ancient Egypt built the pyramids, then forgot how to build them, and forgot how to read hieroglyphics. Rome built roadways, aqueducts, indoor plumbing, then forgot. Entropy is not on your side.

A longer compilation quotation, circulated in 2026, has him saying you cannot have democracy without creating literacy. The original interview has not been located. The tree keeps that line as FOUND, not as a dated transcript.

That game demonstrated outstanding insight into the stepping stones of actual civilizational growth
Elon Musk2023X
You can look at the history of many civilizations. In Ancient Egypt, they were able to build these incredible pyramids, and then they basically forgot how to build pyramids; they even forgot how to read hieroglyphics. Or you look at Rome. They were able to build these incredible roadways and aqueducts and indoor plumbing, and they forgot how to do all of those things. There are many such examples in history. So I think you should always bear in mind that entropy is not on your side.
Elon Musk2016Y Combinator

Y Combinator, 15 September 2016. Technology does not get better by itself. Ancient Egypt built the pyramids, then forgot how to build them, and forgot how to read hieroglyphics. Rome built roadways, aqueducts, indoor plumbing, then forgot. Stages can reverse. Entropy is not on your side.

Hangs on Language & writing

Hangs on

What hangs from here

Sources