In the article “Man’s Greatest Achievement” published in the New York American on July 6, 1930, Nikola Tesla outlines his vision for the future of science and technology, specifically regarding the harnessing of energy and its potential for transforming human society.Tesla begins by describing the fundamental principles of energy and matter, emphasizing that all forms of energy are ultimately derived from the same source - the sun. He goes on to argue that the sun’s energy can be harnessed on a much larger scale than is currently being done, and that this will be essential for meeting the world’s growing energy needs. Tesla then proposes a number of technological innovations that he believes will make this possible, including a new kind of generator that can produce electricity from cosmic rays, and a means of transmitting energy wirelessly over long distances. He also describes a device he calls the “artificial tide,” which he claims can be used to generate vast amounts of electrical power by tapping into the natural motion of the oceans. Throughout the article, Tesla stresses the importance of scientific research and experimentation, and argues that the pursuit of knowledge and understanding is the key to unlocking the full potential of technology. He also suggests that advances in science and technology have the potential to solve many of the world’s most pressing problems, including poverty, disease, and war.
Tesla emphasizes the importance of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which he saw as critical for the long-term sustainability of human civilization. He believed that these technologies had the potential to replace fossil fuels entirely, but that much more research and development was needed to fully harness their power. Tesla also proposed a novel approach to storing energy, which involved the use of charged particles to create a kind of “battery” that could be charged and discharged almost infinitely. Tesla’s vision for wireless energy transmission was one of his most radical proposals, and one that he continued to work on throughout his life. He believed that by using resonant frequencies, it would be possible to transmit energy wirelessly over vast distances, eliminating the need for transmission lines and greatly increasing the efficiency of energy distribution. While Tesla’s wireless transmission system was never fully realized, his work on resonant frequencies laid the foundation for modern wireless technologies such as radio and Wi-Fi. Another area of interest for Tesla was the development of new materials and devices with unusual physical properties. In the article, he describes a new type of metal that he had invented, which he claimed was impervious to corrosion and had an electrical resistance several times lower than that of copper. Tesla believed that this metal, which he called “Tesla metal,” could revolutionize the electrical industry by making it possible to build more efficient generators, motors, and transmission lines.
Tesla was also interested in the medical applications of electricity and magnetism, and believed that these fields held great potential for improving human health and well-being. In the article, he describes a device that he had invented called the “telautomaton,” which he claimed could be used to cure a wide range of diseases by transmitting electrical impulses to the body. While the telautomaton was never successfully commercialized, it laid the groundwork for modern medical technologies such as electroconvulsive therapy and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). Finally, Tesla’s article reflects his broader philosophical outlook, which emphasized the importance of individual creativity and innovation in driving scientific progress. He saw science and technology as fundamentally human endeavors, driven by the curiosity and ingenuity of individuals rather than the impersonal forces of nature or society. This view is evident throughout the article, as Tesla describes the challenges and obstacles he faced in pursuing his ideas, and the satisfaction he derived from overcoming them through persistence and ingenuity.
Did he think that man can become God?
There is no clear evidence that Tesla believed that man could become God in a religious or metaphysical sense. However, he did have a high degree of confidence in human potential and the power of scientific knowledge to transform the world. Tesla believed that by mastering the fundamental principles of energy and matter, humanity could achieve remarkable feats of technology and create a utopian society in which poverty, disease, and war were eliminated. In “Man’s Greatest Achievement,” Tesla wrote, “With the advent of spring we return from the inner world of thought to the outer world of action. The world lies before us like a great eternal riddle. It invites us to explore, to probe, to ascertain the truth of the principles of life and of the universe.” These words suggest a deep respect for the mysteries of existence and a desire to uncover its secrets through scientific inquiry. Tesla also believed in the power of the human mind to access knowledge and creativity beyond what is traditionally understood as “normal” or “natural.” He was fascinated by the phenomenon of intuition and believed that it was a key element in scientific discovery. In some of his writings, Tesla alludes to the possibility that the human mind could tap into a kind of cosmic consciousness, although he does not provide a detailed explanation of how this might work.
Can Man control this grandest, most awe-inspiring of all processes in nature? Can he harness her inexhaustible energies to perform all their functions at his bidding, more still - can he so refine his means of control as to put them in operation simply by the force of his will?