Religion. Some form of government is necessary, religion is not. Both can and do start wars. You can usually come to some agreement with most governments to prevent war. This is not so with religious fanatics. If they had the ability to reason, they wouldn't be religious fanatics. Religious folks are way to intrusive in our everyday lives, especially in this country and in the Middle East. Which is another reason they are number one. War makes no sense, but it seems enough humans want or like war, and way too many other folks are eager to follow. If every male on this planet under thirty said, " Fuck it! I am not going to fight your wars any longer," wars would pretty much be done. Child proof lids would replace atomic bombs on my list.
Is government, not the various types, but the concept and use of government a true invention? Government just sort of happened when a person with help or a group of people start to assert leadership and some just acquiesce.
Language. Surprised. Because language divorced our communications and thoughts from the realities they represented. And that in turn gifted us a vast ability to lie, both to ourselves and others, far beyond the abilities of any other creatures, and those lies in turn created human cultures, which then took on a life of their own and evolved to control us completely. In the end forcing us to create and maintain all the other evils listed, even though those evils brought us no benefits.
Language is also of course, our greatest blessing, but that is another story.
Very thought provoking and interesting premise.
How about pre date language to bigger brain for communication and language and all the innate mathematics that makes up everything.
@Beowulfsfriend Yes but that could hardly be called a human invention, it is what we were gifted by nature. Language is though almost borderline.
Golf. The game of Golf is the WORST thing ever invented. I once heard someone refer to it as ball hunting, and it is an appropriate description!!
Ok, seriously, the worst invention man has ever come up with... If you think about it in a certain way, Religion is the reason for the other 3 named above. Wars have been fought mostly for religious reasons. Nuclear weapons are a direct result of war. Governments are arguably formed to help wage war.
Consumer targeted media and advertising. It is mind control at its most manipulating, to create obsequious and dependant individuals.
You just must have that new foot spa or an Extenda ladder!