On Sep 9, 2:31Â pm, Publius
nospam.comcast.net> wrote:> ZerkonX
X.net> wrote innews:pan.2008.09.09.13.54.01@X.net:
>>> On Sat, 06 Sep 2008 13:23:19 -0500, Publius wrote:
>
>>> Â All of the theoretical foundations of modern
>>> science and technology were laid in free-market economies during the
>>> 19th and early 20th centuries,
>
>> The theoretical foundations of modern science and technology were laid
>> well before the 19th century and can be found inside of monarchies,
>> theocracies and most every other form of economic up to and including
>> 1935 Germany and 1956 Russia.
>
> Modern science has some very deeps roots, to be sure --- roots which extend
> back as far as ancient Greece and even prior. But the central organizing
> theories which characterize modern science, with the exception of Newton's
> mechanics (1687), all date from the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th Â
> centuries:.....
No, here I think he has a valid point (up to a point). You're
overlooking Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and others - and Newton is too
important to simply be waved away as an exception.
Here the issue was the liberation of thought after centuries of being
closed down by religious dogma. It was a continuation of the
Renaissance and it was a process which built up such force that the
dominant power of the previous millenium, The Catholic Church,
couldn't stop it. It even included challenges to its own authority in
religion, e.g. the Reformation. It appeared in almost all Western
countries almost regardless of their political structure, though they
were nearly all monarchies.
But he's right only up to a point. This increase in freedom would
likely not have continued had it not been accompanied by freedom in
other areas, so that together they could work in unison - and
eventually would have had to include political and economic freedom.
It was no coincidence that out of this cauldron came men like John
Locke and Adam Smith whose thought laid the foundation for political
and then economic freedom.
Then, as you say correctly, there was a veritable explosion of major
new discoveries in science and technology - very little of which would
have happened without the political and economic freedom which was at
its base (and which provided the funding).
As for Russia, please. It is well known that they stole from the West
and became quite good at it - and were often assisted by their fellow-
travelers. Their economy was a disaster so they needed to cover it up
with propaganda coups. They spent billions on showcase projects, such
as their space program, to give themselves the appearance of success,
while their people were standing on line for bread.
Fred Weiss
