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| How Christianity (and Capitalism) Led to Science |
| 2006-05-25 |
| I don't remember if this was posted here or not, and even though it's a few months old, it's worth the read. When Europeans first began to explore the globe, their greatest surprise was not the existence of the Western Hemisphere, but the extent of their own technological superiority over the rest of the world. Not only were the proud Maya, Aztec, and Inca nations helpless in the face of European intruders, so were the fabled civilizations of the East: China, India, and Islamic nations were "backward" by comparison with 15th-century Europe. How had that happened? Why was it that, although many civilizations had pursued alchemy, the study led to chemistry only in Europe? Why was it that, for centuries, Europeans were the only ones possessed of eyeglasses, chimneys, reliable clocks, heavy cavalry, or a system of music notation? How had the nations that had arisen from the rubble of Rome so greatly surpassed the rest of the world? ... The most convincing answer to those questions attributes Western dominance to the rise of capitalism, which took place only in Europe. Even the most militant enemies of capitalism credit it with creating previously undreamed of productivity and progress. In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels proposed that before the rise of capitalism, humans engaged "in the most slothful indolence"; the capitalist system was "the first to show what man's activity can bring about." Capitalism achieved that miracle through regular reinvestment to increase productivity, either to create greater capacity or improve technology, and by motivating both management and labor through ever-rising payoffs. ... It was during the so-called Dark Ages that European technology and science overtook and surpassed the rest of the world. Some of that involved original inventions and discoveries; some of it came from Asia. But what was so remarkable was the way that the full capacities of new technologies were recognized and widely adopted. By the 10th century Europe already was far ahead in terms of farm-ing equipment and techniques, had unmatched capacities in the use of water and wind power, and possessed superior military equipment and tactics. Not to be overlooked in all that medieval progress was the invention of a whole new way to organize and operate commerce and industry: capitalism. ... Given the fundamental commitment of Christian theologians to reason and progress, what they did was rethink the traditional teachings. What is a just price for one's goods, they asked? According to the immensely influential St. Albertus Magnus (1193-1280), the just price is simply what "goods are worth according to the estimate of the market at the time of sale." That is, a just price is not a function of the amount of profit, but is whatever uncoerced buyers are willing to pay. Adam Smith would have agreed — St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) did. As for usury, a host of leading theologians of the day remained opposed to it, but quickly defined it out of practical existence. For example, no usury was involved if the interest was paid to compensate the lender for the costs of not having the money available for other commercial opportunities, which was almost always easily demonstrated. ... Free labor was an essential ingredient for the rise of capitalism, for free workers can maximize their rewards by working harder or more effectively than before. In contrast, coerced workers gain nothing from doing more. Put another way, tyranny makes a few people richer; capitalism can make everyone richer. Therefore, as the northern Italian city-states developed capitalist economies, visitors marveled at their standards of living; many were equally confounded by how hard everyone worked. The common denominator in all these great historical developments was the Christian commitment to reason. That was why the West won. |
| Posted by:Spot |
| #16 Dear Dr. Asimov wrote a wonderful history of the Old and New Testaments. Like his science popularizations, he brought together all the evidence -- archeological, linguistic, literary analysis and contemporaneous historical and religious documents, plus lots of helpful maps -- into a book, chapter and verse analysis of the whole thing. The only thing he doesn't analyze is the religion/faith thingy, which is as it should be; like the actual existence/non-existence of God, faith is experienced, unanalyzable. It can be gotten as a special order from any of the big box bookstores for about $25 as I recall. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-05-25 20:32 |
| #15 The Dawn of Modern Science: From the Ancient Greeks to the Renaissance by Thomas Goldstein, with a forward by that evil old Bible thumping fundie Isaac Asimov, is a good overview of the history. |
| Posted by: Ernest Brown 2006-05-25 15:48 |
| #14 When Europeans first began to explore the globe, their greatest surprise was not the existence of the Western Hemisphere, but the extent of their own technological superiority over the rest of the world. Not only were the proud Maya, Aztec, and Inca nations helpless in the face of European intruders, so were the fabled civilizations of the East: China, India, and Islamic nations were "backward" by comparison with 15th-century Europe. More along the lines of adoptivity. When cultures and civilizations think that they are be all and end all of knowledge and truth, someone more nimble and open will exploit the static or corrupted structures of those societies. Adapt or perish. Modern Europe faces the same problem. It is spending its energy and resources just to stand still. Nature and human behavior/interaction is chaos. Either ride it or be overriden by it. |
| Posted by: Cloger Elmereque9146 2006-05-25 15:15 |
| #13 On the subject of 'Why some cultures are inferior to others': "Because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." Rom. 1:21-23 |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-05-25 15:07 |
| #12 Not only were the proud Maya, Aztec, and Inca nations helpless in the face of European intruders, -I could be wrong but were not the mayan's long gone before Westerners got to C.America? I thought it was the Aztecs and Incas that met them. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2006-05-25 14:49 |
| #11 I firmly believe that all humans are born with a divine spark and created equal by a supreme being, however I also firmly believe all cultures do not evolve equally. Thus the notion of equal opportunity and free will vice the notion of guaranteed equal results. In other words, sucks to be you OMC...mwhahahahahahahahaha |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2006-05-25 14:44 |
| #10 "a just price is not a function of the amount of profit, but is whatever uncoerced buyers are willing to pay." A just price is difficult to define apart from the Bible, as capitalism devoid of morals and ethics is the black market. It is human nature to take advantage and conscience developed through religion; advanced civilization tracks with the Jewish and Christian diasporas. And how to we define corrupt practices apart from a moral code? Christianity led to science because believers understand they are created in the Creator's image and born into an orderly universe for a reason, with the command to subdue and tend it wherever God happens to plant you. It is in finding our life purpose that we discover how to prosper our souls and make the world a better place. Islamic fundamentalism and any other traditionalist indoctrination stifles creativity and fosters stagnation and death of any new ideas. |
| Posted by: Danielle 2006-05-25 14:25 |
| #9 "Fuckwit". I like that. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-05-25 14:02 |
| #8 Zero sum = zero brains, Mr OMC. See VDH's "Carnage and Culture". "Peaceful" nations? The Aztecs? Ancient Persia? They weren't peaceful. They had inferior meme sets. All nations and cultures are not equally good or valid. |
| Posted by: no mo uro 2006-05-25 13:41 |
| #7 OMC = Muzzie lobotomy. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-05-25 13:22 |
| #6 Along the same lines, the invention of double entry bookkeeping in Italy (circa 1400s?) was a great leap forward for capitalism. Hard to believe that boring old accounting was "invented". |
| Posted by: AlanC 2006-05-25 13:12 |
| #5 Well then since we Americans are the most merciless you say and your not, bye bye I guess your nation is gone then. |
| Posted by: djohn66 2006-05-25 11:53 |
| #4 Mr. closedmindedcreature, There are a number of hardline athiests here, myself include. And I happen to know a fair amount about the history of ideas. The Western world won for three hundred years because it had the people with new ideas and the system to execute them, aka capitalism. You are a fuckwhit. You can respond if you like, but trolls generally leave here in shock that those on the right are much smarter than they are (especially us athiests). Bye. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2006-05-25 11:43 |
| #3 OpenMindedCreature, you need to re-read the entry. Europe was moving toward rationalsim and the scientific method long before it took up colonization -- what you call "sinking the ones around it down." What's more, you don't have to be a Christian to see that Christianity's emphasis on reason contributed to the birth of the scientific method. |
| Posted by: Jonathan 2006-05-25 11:21 |
| #2 That's ok. I know that it's hard to see the blood on your hands when your pathetic "civilization" cannot even produce a lightbulb. Or even a candle. Just those stupid "magic lamps". |
| Posted by: Gene the Moron 2006-05-25 11:16 |
| #1 Now that's some serious load of bullcrap! The west only went up by sinking the ones around it down. Follow history... the most peaceful nations disapeared and the most mercyless of them are now on top. History is happening again with the US of A. But no thanks I dont want no blood on my hands Mr. Christian. |
| Posted by: OpenMindedCreature 2006-05-25 11:13 |