Religion
this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2026
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I think it has to be something that poses an existential threat to human life on this planet, so cars (and other inventions dependent on fossil fuels) is a pretty good pick for the top of the list, IMO. I saw someone in the comments pick animal agriculture, and that, too, contributes to the existential threat of a warming planet; so that, too, feels like a good pick for the top of the list.
For me, though, nuclear weapons has to be the worst thing we've ever invented. No other invention is capable of ending human life on this planet so quickly and so thoroughly.
Shareholders.
car alarms
Either leaded gasoline or pfas
Leaded gasoline is an Amazing answer. Fuck. Take my UpDoot.
Social media year over year shows it was a mistake.
It's likely LLMs in their current corporate circular funding form and cryptocurrency.
Animal agriculture.
industrialization.
it's caused unfathomable damage to us, our planet, and the organisms we share our world with.
it's also saved just as many as it's harmed, but there is an upper limit when our planet dies and we all die with it.
The corporation.
Capitalism.
Advertising.
This begs the question: What level of advertising is okay?
Some level of advertising is surely okay, right?
If I open a bakery and put a sign out front that says "Baked good for sale!" I don't think anyone would complain but that IS advertising.
I can't specify a threshold, but it really comes down to the level of invasiveness.
This begs the question
Nope. It just raises the question.
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The only correct answer in this thread.
It's the biggest industry in the world by a very large margin and the most destructive one on a global scale.
Even advertising isn't necessarily bad, having people telling you about things you might like used to be a good thing.
I personally think it's people like Edward Bernays who had the idea of, I guess, 'Malicious Advertising'. They really solidified the idea of applying propaganda techniques to advertising strategies and that just kind of become expected and the norm.
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Cars are too prevalent in most countries, but they are undeniably very useful when used correctly. I would probably say the social media does more harm than cars, but idk if it's the worst invention. Lots of candidates.
I've been alive long enough to have become an adult before social media happened.
Social media is the correct answer.
I've never witnessed something have a more detrimental effect on society.
As an American, our discourse, especially political, went absolutely apeshit at the same time social media and smart phones started becoming a household thing. We absolutely would not be in the situation we currently find ourselves if not for social media.
There are simply too many ignorant humans for social media to be anything other than a total disaster.
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Lead pipes.
Leaded gasoline has to be worse.
Lead pipes are fine. Step 1: Install. Step 2: ignore one generation of aggressive residents. Step 3: never touch the pipes again
Religion. So many of today's issues stem from the magical thinking inherent in religion.
It's easily disprovable, but even in the face of countless arguments against it, people still willingly throw themselves into it by the millions. They're too fearful of the unknown, they're fearful of belonging somewhere when we die and religion is the prime example of how easily controllable people are when they're fearful.
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I know it this will seem trendy, or whatever, but AI and social media have been the worst inventions since religion.
Slavery. Even after banning it pretty much everywhere, people still find ways to treat others as disposable property.
Marketing
Greed
Greed isn't an invention, it's a personality defect
Chemical weapons
Disposable vapes come to mind, although the real answer is probably some extremely depraved torture device.
So far crypto currencies. So far they seem to expend a huge amount of electricity and used mostly for speculation.
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