Why Enlightenment culture sparked the Industrial Revolution During the
late eighteenth century, innovations in Europe triggered the
Industrial Revolution and the sustained economic progress that spread
across the globe. While much has been made of the details of the
Industrial Revolution, what remains a mystery is why it took place at
all. Why did this revolution begin in the West and not elsewhere, and
why did it continue, leading to today's unprecedented prosperity? In
this groundbreaking book, celebrated economic historian Joel Mokyr
argues that a culture of growth specific to early modern Europe and
the European Enlightenment laid the foundations for the scientific
advances and pioneering inventions that would instigate explosive
technological and economic development. Bringing together economics,
the history of science and technology, and models of cultural
evolution, Mokyr demonstrates that culture—the beliefs, values, and
preferences in society that are capable of changing behavior—was a
deciding factor in societal transformations. Mokyr looks at the period
1500–1700 to show that a politically fragmented Europe fostered a
competitive "market for ideas" and a willingness to investigate the
secrets of nature. At the same time, a transnational community of
brilliant thinkers known as the “Republic of Letters” freely
circulated and distributed ideas and writings. This political
fragmentation and the supportive intellectual environment explain how
the Industrial Revolution happened in Europe but not China, despite
similar levels of technology and intellectual activity. In Europe,
heterodox and creative thinkers could find sanctuary in other
countries and spread their thinking across borders. In contrast,
China’s version of the Enlightenment remained controlled by the
ruling elite. Combining ideas from economics and cultural evolution, A
Culture of Growth provides startling reasons for why the foundations
of our modern economy were laid in the mere two centuries between
Columbus and Newton.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400882915
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter