Your post reminded me of "The Outer Limits" Final Exam episode (1998) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0667892

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xinb18_outer-limits-final-e...

There was another movie/short film that I vaguely remember with protagonist arguing same thing (with a woman on train?), that inventions are simply inevitable once we reach appropriate technological level. Radio and telephone were cited as examples with multiple inventors popping at the same time all over the world.