How a 15th Century Person Would React to the Modern World

It is no secret that the world has changed dramatically over the past 600 years. For someone plucked from 15th century England and placed into the present day, the technology, infrastructure, access to information and overall way of life would be nothing short of shocking. Let’s imagine how such an individual may react upon discovering some of the major advancements that define the modern world.

Discovering Transportation Has Transformed Mobility

Those living in 15th century England had very limited transportation options. Most people never traveled more than 10-20 miles from their hometown in their entire lives. While horses provided the primary mode for moving goods and people locally, long distance travel was an arduous undertaking requiring weeks or months over land by coach or on foot. Our person from the past would be stunned to learn how drastically transportation has evolved. Seeing cars zipping down highways at high speeds, buses filled with people, trains whooshing by, and airplanes soaring through the sky would blow their mind. The concept of being able to traverse long distances in mere hours instead of weeks would be unimaginable.

Communication Technology Has Boundaries

Communication was also extremely constrained 500+ years ago. Messages took weeks or months to travel long distances via horseback rider or ship. Most people lived their whole lives without ever interacting with those in neighboring towns. Our time traveler would find today’s near instantaneous global communication unfathomable. Seeing people comfortably chatting face-to-face on tiny devices from anywhere in real-time or learning that written messages can zip to the other side of the planet in seconds would confound them. The ability to stay constantly connected to the whole world from the palm of your hand is the stuff of fairy tales to someone from the 15th century.

Amassing the World’s Information Was Unthinkable

Access to information and knowledge was another major limitation in the past. Books were an luxury item and most people were illiterate. New ideas or discoveries could take generations to spread widely. Our visitor would be flummoxed learning that all of the world’s information - past and present - has not only been compiled but also made available for anyone to access freely with a few taps or clicks. The idea of being able to instantly learn about any topic under the sun or see visual documentation of places from every continent right before one’s eyes would seem positively enchanting to someone used to learning through oral tradition or the few manuscripts in monasteries.

Entertainment Media Blows Minds

Entertainment was also a much more local and small-scale affair long ago. While troubadours, festivals and public performances provided some diversions, most people had to entertain themselves through singing, dancing, playing simple instruments or games. The capability to view high-quality performances and visual stories from all lands - both real and fictional - directly in one’s home would astound our time traveler more than any wizardry or miracles. Seeing films, TV shows, videos and digital art unfold on screens powered without flame or animals would stretch the imagination for someone accustomed to campfire tales and puppet shows.

Urbanization Revolutionizes Living Patterns

Life was also dramatically more rural in the past. Most people subsisted through farming, lived in small agricultural communities, and died within a few miles of where they were born. Our visitor would be flabbergasted by the mammoth modern cities with skyscrapers, sprawling metropolitan areas housing millions, urban infrastructure handling transportation, sanitation, utilities and more all while supporting previously unthinkable population densities. Even small modern conveniences like grocery stores stocked year-round with goods from around the world or indoor plumbing would feel positively advanced.

Medical Advances Cure Diseases

Perhaps most astonishing of all would be discoveries in medicine and health. In the 15th century, disease and early death was rampant while treatment options were limited to herbal remedies and hopeful prayers. Learning how viruses, bacteria and the human body works at the cellular level would blow their mind alone. But seeing hospitals full of high-tech equipment diagnosing and treating illness through procedures their forebears could never dream of like vaccines, transplants, robots, gene therapies and more would stir a whole new perspective. Life expectancies more than doubling would shake one’s core understanding of the human experience.

A New World is Revealed

In summary, going from 15th century England to the modern era could rightly be considered one of the largest culture shocks imaginable. Every aspect of daily life from how we get around, to acquiring and sharing information, socialize, amuse ourselves, get healthcare and even our relationship with the natural world has been utterly transformed. While adaptation would no doubt be enormously difficult, the expansion of what’s possible for humanity could also reinvigorate one’s sense of wonder and optimism. Though unfamiliar and disorienting, witnessing the progress of the last six centuries firsthand might inspire renewed hope in our potential when provided with the right circumstances to thrive and discover.