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Comment by lock-the-spock | Hacker News Reader

You might enjoy this as well, similar big picture and fascinating, but a bit more scientific and focused on the human element.

> The Weirdest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous

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"The Triumph of the West" by Roberts has a similar thesis.

https://www.amazon.com/triumph-West-J-M-Roberts/dp/076070850...

It's been a long time since I read it, but as I recall the theses were that individual rights and freedoms coupled with things like the scientific method is what resulted in triumph.

The scientific method wasn’t novel to the western world. It’s origins date back to when the Moors conquered the southern half of western europe - and by almost all historian accounts - modernized many institutions over the subsequent hundreds of years (eg, from cutlery to math and science).

I think the most relevant book on the west’s success is called complexity: a guided tour

It doesn't matter where the idea originated, it matters where it is applied.

And because they had to much of science, they rejected the printing press? Does anyone read the sources anymore before they start projecting utopias everywhere?

Also by preventing proper analysis, one prevents the discovery of cultural defects and repairs, preventing liberating change and effectively kicking away the ladder of progress, a deeply colonial act.

100% agree w/this recommendation. The title is pretentious and put me off, so I missed out for a few years, but the contents are amazing. He has another related book, The Secrets of our Success, which is good. I'm happy that despite everything, at least a few people are doing cross-domain research and trying to put together and test ideas for how humanity came to be.

Thank you, I've added it to my reading list!

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