The other I heard this term of 'path dependence' when I listened to a podcast. Checking wikipedia I got this definition: Path dependence is when the decisions presented to people are dependent on previous decisions or experiences made in the past. I guess the equivalent of this concept in physics is called inertia (the resistance of any physical object to a change in its velocity. This includes changes to the object's speed, or direction of motion). Looks like in nature and in social life we tend to stick with the status quo.
Of course from time to time there are mavericks (an unorthodox or independent-minded person). Imagine a world without Einstein then we wouldn't have GPS, solar cells, etc. He was (still is) a maverick that opened a new dimension for other to explore. He created a new path, essentially.
I guess despite our inertia from time to time people like Einstein knocks our door and eventually the reality would made us change. It takes time I would assume and sometime time is the luxury that we do not always have. Covid 19 and its variances -for example- forces us to act differently. The best example is I guess the online education. I am sure people have considered about online education for quite sometime now. but Covid 19 hasten the application of such system that we were dragged into the journey rather forcefully. We are learning to swim as we are plunged in the water.
The world is changing at a faster rate and to survive we need to be adaptive. Some would certainly be left behind. Sad reality. Darwinian evolutionary theory would say "survival of the fittest" even though this article suggest that maybe there is a way to survive as a community ("survival of the kindest")
In any case I would argue that we should always be open to adapt ourselves in face of rapid change of economics, politics, environment and technology. Open your eyes and ears. Read and learn
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