Technology, while integral to our modern, everyday lives, has not always been where it is. Technology in prehistoric times was nothing more than simple torches or sharpened rock bound to sticks, and a future with encyclopaedias that fit in our pocket or the ability to travel the world in a matter of days was inconceivable, and the visionaries who dreamed of these things were simply written off as mad in such times. While the unified ‘We’ featured in Anthem is hardly as primeval, they are still far from even our present and even farther from other fictional futures, as their ‘perfect and equal’ system has slowed any progress to a dreadful crawl. The design of this society inherently hinders technological progression, and is decades behind the present in terms of technological ability and eons behind the capabilities of other imaginary dystopian worlds. Any sort of advance for humanity, beneficial or otherwise, is strictly forbidden as long as it is the effort of a lone man. An invention, the creation of which must be overseen by many for it not to be considered a cardinal sin, must go through an egregiously sluggish process in which every ranking leader in the world must approve of the invention. After …show more content…
While simple tools for mundane everyday tasks have been refined to function as efficiently as possible, ‘We’ is still limited to basic wax and wicker for light, and electricity has no presence in the City whatsoever. This is shown when Equality is absolutely astonished at his observation that “metal draws the power of the sky, and that metal can be made to give it forth” (53). Its medicinal capabilities are also implied to be underdeveloped, for the average lifespan in this society is only 40 years, with the select few who have reached this age being referred to as the “old