During medieval Europe, Islamic and Chinese societies were primarily responsible for any advances in science. Technology facilitated this because these societies borrowed heavily from the invention of paper. In an ironic twist of fate, technology was also these scientific societies' downfall, for the reaction against the invention of the printing press in the late 1400s was so conservative that new ideas became relatively stifled compared to Europe, where the Church was surprisingly more liberal. The triumph of conservatism in the Islamic world opened a path for European expansion in the Indian Ocean and beyond, due to advantages and technology, mapping, weaponry, trade, etc. That is why globalization was born in Europe and not there. The printing press was truly the most pivotal invention of modern history; the world would be far different if the Islamic authorities didn't call it devilry.
The isolationist political philosophy of China also contributed to the West's advantage in globalization starting in the 15th century. Prior to the Ming Dynasty, China had been every bit as scientifically advanced as the Islamic world. Paper, gunpowder, orrries, and seismographs are among the many inventions that came from that civilization. (Interestingly, gunpowder came as a result of alchemy experiments, and was initially used to ward off evil spirits instead of weaponry.) The Ming dynasty's isolationism had the effect of contracting trade and expansion, allowing more avenues for the West to exploit east of Africa. Other things worked in the West's favor; such as a more efficient alphabet to print, which the Chinese were less able to optimize, even after inventing the movable type centuries before the printing press; and easier access to lands rich in resources that hosted egalitarian societies, like those in the Americas. These were easier to conquer due to relative proximity, less consolidation of native alliances, and their higher susceptibility to disease - in some circles thought to be caused by the decreased immune functionality of people who consume less meat.
America's recent experiment in isolationist politics was doomed to fail. History shows that both spheres of the Eastern world, at about the same time, favored conservatism over liberal education and experimentation in the sciences. Ironically it was the Church that generated this separation, for it hosted the first universities that bred scientists in the West during the Renaissance. By the time it rejected science, it was too late; the values and norms of Western society had already changed too dramatically thanks to the printing press, spearheading the agendas of capitalists and globalists, no doubt reinforced by the Protestant worth work ethic, which would not have been as robust without printing. America would be wise to continue rejecting the forces of contraction, lest we become the ones who start falling behind.
Source:
McClellan, James, Dorn, Harold. 1999. Science and Technology in World History. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore and London
No comments:
Post a Comment