A central question in history (to me) is: “Why science and technology and modern civilization developed in Europe rather than ancient Greece, Rome, China, etc.” One idea that has struck me recently is the Christian idea of forgiveness, which in a non-religious sense means that you don’t have to be tied to the past based on guilt or family association (or
caste)… Hence the idea of progress (which some in the middle east and elsewhere would deny.)
Since people always are asking philosophers to be more specific I think we can actually find
ways to measure/quantify how fast different societies devalue the past (e.g 5% per year). Perhaps the beginnings of a real version of Isaac Asimov’s psycho-history as he wrote about in the Foundation series.
Richard
http://dimension99.com
Devaluing History
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I think that science and technology, as we have experienced it in the Western World and in our lives, did emerge and thrive in Ancient Greece and Rome. The Archimedean Screw, the Antikythera mechanism (an analog computer), and the sophisticated crossbow are but a few examples of reasonably modern technologies all of which are symbolic of where we have collectively arrived in terms of our techno-enhanced culture. Our “progress” has been largely in the refinement of mechanisms like these. Admittedly, this movement in the direction of further sophistication and refinement may require a linear, non-recurring concept of progressive time as opposed to a concept of cyclical time, the latter being associated more with mythic orientations.
Have you read the book Guns, Germs, and Steel? I just got done reading it last week. It was a very interesting book that asked questions such as these, however I don’t think it went into it this deeply. I can see where you are coming from “with the latter being associated more with mythic orientations”. Sure, Ancient Greece and Rome were still in the frame of mind where the majority of the population believed in giants, dragons, etc. And China, it seems like every new invention that could have made them an unstopable power, they repressed, because of bad decisions by their Government. What about the glorification in dying for your country? For some reason, I feel that in Europe when modern civilizaton was starting to arise, there was less of this type of mindset.
I think when it comes to science and technology the Greeks and Romans were very industrious. The Romans perfected the arch, concrete, road construction, and aquaducts to name just a few.