Was it a lack of manpower? Was it geographic circumstances? Why couldn’t civilizations like, say, Babylon or Rome have an Industrial Revolution?
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We focus on the industrial revolution in western civ, but ignore the technology changes made during that period in the Islamic world or China.
We focus on the industrial revolution in western civ, but ignore the technology changes made during that period in the Islamic world or China.
Without scientific revolution first, industrial revolution could not have happened. Scientific revolution fundamentally changed not only how we think about the world, but also how we approach problem-solving in general. They just plain didn’t have the cognitive tools to build an industrial revolution.
How ancients approached engineering is quite different to how we do it today, blindly repeating tried and true methods was the way to go for most of human history. They didn’t work out from first principles if a project was going to work or not, they just copied a previous success. If you didn’t have a old wise guy to tell you how he did it in his day, you were shit out of luck. But the old wise guy also didn’t know why his project succeeded and someone else’s failed, he could only tell you the steps to copy, including the all important sacrifice of a goat that he learned from his own old wise guy.
Other reasons were lack of concentrated expertise and resources, general low levels of education, lack of tools to make the tools to make the tools etc.
That sort of issues resulted in incredibly slow technological progress compared to what we have today. It took lifetimes to stumble on something completely novel, now we do something completely novel every single day.
Without scientific revolution first, industrial revolution could not have happened. Scientific revolution fundamentally changed not only how we think about the world, but also how we approach problem-solving in general. They just plain didn’t have the cognitive tools to build an industrial revolution.
How ancients approached engineering is quite different to how we do it today, blindly repeating tried and true methods was the way to go for most of human history. They didn’t work out from first principles if a project was going to work or not, they just copied a previous success. If you didn’t have a old wise guy to tell you how he did it in his day, you were shit out of luck. But the old wise guy also didn’t know why his project succeeded and someone else’s failed, he could only tell you the steps to copy, including the all important sacrifice of a goat that he learned from his own old wise guy.
Other reasons were lack of concentrated expertise and resources, general low levels of education, lack of tools to make the tools to make the tools etc.
That sort of issues resulted in incredibly slow technological progress compared to what we have today. It took lifetimes to stumble on something completely novel, now we do something completely novel every single day.
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This book did a good job of explaining ingredients it. Watts’ steam engine, iron making, UK Patent laws, etc..
The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry and Invention by William Rosen
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This book did a good job of explaining ingredients it. Watts’ steam engine, iron making, UK Patent laws, etc..
The Most Powerful Idea in the World: A Story of Steam, Industry and Invention by William Rosen
Even when there was scientific discoveries and technological innovation, these were mostly curiosities and just knowledge for scholars and for the elites. Why? Because slaves and cheap cost of labor.
This is true even after the industrialization. Europeans who colonized Africa and South America, they didn’t really industrialize those places… just having lots of slaves work in the plantations was more efficient and flexible. Humans can do more different tasks, humans can make babies, humans don’t need a mechanic for repair and maintenance (nor a doctor in this case).
Even when there was scientific discoveries and technological innovation, these were mostly curiosities and just knowledge for scholars and for the elites. Why? Because slaves and cheap cost of labor.
This is true even after the industrialization. Europeans who colonized Africa and South America, they didn’t really industrialize those places… just having lots of slaves work in the plantations was more efficient and flexible. Humans can do more different tasks, humans can make babies, humans don’t need a mechanic for repair and maintenance (nor a doctor in this case).
I’m **no** expert, but wikipedia says that the Song Dynasty was developing a lot of the economic features that (in Europe) paved the way for industrialization, in the 1200s. Stuff like greater regional specialization and proto-capitalist banking/finance.
We’ll never know for sure how it might have progressed because the Mongol Yuan Dynasty mostly reverted the economy back to a simpler state, and the next Han dynasty 300 years later (the Ming) also didn’t restart the process.
I’m **no** expert, but wikipedia says that the Song Dynasty was developing a lot of the economic features that (in Europe) paved the way for industrialization, in the 1200s. Stuff like greater regional specialization and proto-capitalist banking/finance.
We’ll never know for sure how it might have progressed because the Mongol Yuan Dynasty mostly reverted the economy back to a simpler state, and the next Han dynasty 300 years later (the Ming) also didn’t restart the process.
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