Bright flashes and jagged bolts of light doesn’t necessarily lead one to intuitively believe “Oh, look, there’s a source of energy in the sky which can somehow be generated and harnessed to power machines and light bulbs.”
We think that way because we have the scientific knowledge of what it is and how it works, but that’s all retrospective. Prior to the discovery of electricity as a concept, lightning simply appeared to be some divine weapon wielded by angry gods. Even atheists of the early-Enlightenment era wouldn’t have understood it.
That’s like saying “Humans have observed fire since prehistoric times, so they must have understood chemical bonds and exothermic reactions.” It simply doesn’t apply.
Lightning. Humans have been observing the effects of electricity since they first evolved. They didn’t have a reason not to believe in it.
Bright flashes and jagged bolts of light doesn’t necessarily lead one to intuitively believe “Oh, look, there’s a source of energy in the sky which can somehow be generated and harnessed to power machines and light bulbs.”
We think that way because we have the scientific knowledge of what it is and how it works, but that’s all retrospective. Prior to the discovery of electricity as a concept, lightning simply appeared to be some divine weapon wielded by angry gods. Even atheists of the early-Enlightenment era wouldn’t have understood it.
That’s like saying “Humans have observed fire since prehistoric times, so they must have understood chemical bonds and exothermic reactions.” It simply doesn’t apply.
The fact that it took eons to figure out how it worked and harness it is irrelevant. They knew it existed based on observable evidence.
They didn’t know what it was, so my point stands.
Humans have known the sun exists for as long as humans have been around. That doesn’t mean cro-magnan man believed in nuclear fusion.
You are nitpicking. Get lost.
You’re the one nitpicking. You didn’t have to reply to my comment, so it seems you’re the one who can get lost.