alternatehistory.com

I’m coming to the belief that technology in OTL is basically as advance as it can be, which is a reversal of my original view. What makes Western European Culture unique is the Scientific Revolution. I question whether the Industrial Revolution could of happened or of been a revolution without the Scientific Revolution as basis.
What caused the Scientific Revolution and could it of happened in another place or time? I’m thinking the fall of the ancient world, the dark ages of plague, flood and famine, and then the Renaissance allowed knowledge whose origin was at the same time Western Europe’s and not, provided much to be gleaned and at the same time parts to be questioned, from those historic roots supplies material and economic wealth and development allowing capital ventures. The discovery of the “New World” at first demonstrated that not everything was known but new lands and far flung empires are not new. The economic opportunities “out there” provided a model profit motive to scientific observation, instrumentation and predictive theories. The Reformation, the increase of universities, the printing press, multi state system competition all came together to promote the asking of questions and the finical and social backing to research, experiment, invent and theorize and to spread knowledge.
Save the Alexandrian Library, invent the Roman Printing Press or develop the Phaistos Disc into block printing, zap each other with Baghdad batteries (if it was a battery), unleash the super geniuses and wealthy patrons to jumpstart feedback loops to develop the Antikythera mechanism until it’s punch card feed and turing complete. Show me a world significantly more advanced than our own without Macguffining it into bad scifi.
Re-reading this I seem to be on quite a rant against um, myself? Bottom line challenge: an earlier Scientific Revolution
Top