1. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 07:47
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    What has that got to do with it? Surely all current humans are therefore descended from the same group so why should one group be said to have retained the culture and all the others started a new one?
    Just clarifying what I think he meant 🙂 I agree that it's irrelevant.
  2. Cape Town
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    06 Feb '09 07:51
    Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
    First let's clear up why Europe suddenly shot ahead technologically, after being comparatively backward for a millenium.
    I am sure that it is a whole range of factors. Development leads to further development in a sort of chain reaction but there are various factors that encourage or discourage the progress.
    Things like war and disease can depending on the exact circumstances have a massive impact in both directions.

    I have recently started learning Mandarin Chinese and have started wondering whether or not it is harder for young Chinese to learn to read and write (due to the different writing system) and if so whether that had an impact on literacy rates in the past and whether that has impacted development in the past.
  3. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 07:531 edit
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    I am sure that it is a whole range of factors. [...]

    I have recently started learning Mandarin Chinese and have started wondering whether or not it is harder for young Chinese to learn to read and write (due to the different writing system) and if so whether that had an impact on literacy rates in the past and whether that has impacted development in the past.
    I'm pretty sure of that too.

    Where are you learning Mandarin?

    (I suspect the writing system isn't all that important in this context. But this is an interesting article nonetheless: http://news.illinois.edu/news/06/1018reading.html)
  4. Cape Town
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    06 Feb '09 07:53
    Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
    From the late 18th century.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
    So could it be something as simple as the invention of the steam engine?
  5. Cape Town
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    06 Feb '09 07:54
    Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
    I'm pretty sure of that too.

    Where are you learning Mandarin?
    Off the internet.
  6. Standard memberThequ1ck
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    06 Feb '09 07:572 edits
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    Are we talking about why civilization started in Europe, or are we talking about much more recent history where Africa is not particularly thriving?
    For the former, the answer is simple, civilization didn't start in Europe.
    For the latter, there are many interacting factors including:
    1. Disease.
    2. Exploitation.
    3. Cultural differences.
    4. Corrupti ...[text shortened]... tter system than Africa's lots of little countries. We really need to get SADC working better.
    I'd say we're talking about both. The factors you have described
    are present in all cultures at all times.
  7. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 07:58
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    So could it be something as simple as the invention of the steam engine?
    Well, as warlock said, an understanding of thermodynamics, leading to such world-conquering inventions as the steam engine, dynamo, etc.
  8. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 07:58
    Originally posted by twhitehead
    Off the internet.
    Yikes!
  9. Cape Town
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    06 Feb '09 08:00
    I do know that culture can have a massive impact on development. In Zambia, aid agencies often run into various problems relating to culture. In many parts of Zambia there is a strong tendency to be jealous of your neighbor and as a result anyone who seems too successful risks getting into trouble. This means a lot of people avoid being successful or avoid showing their success. Some people get round this problem by moving to a different area where they are considered an outsider and thus given much more leeway to become successful.

    In addition there is a strong culture of helping your relatives. This has both positive and negative side effects. Due to the large family sizes most people have lots of relatives. There are often a fairly high number of leaches who basically take advantage of the system and try to as much as possible live off their relatives. Again, many people will move to a new area in the hope of avoiding having to continually support less fortunate relatives.
  10. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 08:04
    Originally posted by twhitehead

    In addition there is a strong culture of helping your relatives. This has both positive and negative side effects. Due to the large family sizes most people have lots of relatives. There are often a fairly high number of leaches who basically take advantage of the system and try to as much as possible live off their relatives. Again, many people will move to a new area in the hope of avoiding having to continually support less fortunate relatives.
    Contrast that with the Protestant Work Ethic.
  11. Standard memberThequ1ck
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    06 Feb '09 08:241 edit
    Originally posted by Jigtie
    Ancient Egypt was one of the most technologically advanced civilisations
    of its time, and certainly one of the most successful of all times, thanks
    to the river Nile and the fact that the people who lived there discovered
    how the floods could be used to their advantage. The main cause for a
    higher, more technologically advanced civilisation, is withou , or struck down by an angry bear,
    but all in all I think they experienced happier times.
    A very good point. But where did the original Egyptians come from?
    Why was Egypt such a success and why didn't we see other, similar
    cultures popping up regularly in Africa?

    edit. A lot of Egyptian knowledge was reputed to have been brought
    by Toth the Atlantean. Was Atlantis a real civilisation based in or
    around Africa?
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    06 Feb '09 08:37
    Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
    From the late 18th century.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution
    So the European succes was very recent in time.
    Who was in lead before 1800?
  13. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 08:38
    Originally posted by Thequ1ck
    Very good question. But where did the original Egyptians come from?
    http://www.catchpenny.org/race.html

    Why did Athens turn into a garbage heap after midwifing Western culture?
  14. Standard memberBosse de Nage
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    06 Feb '09 08:40
    Originally posted by FabianFnas
    So the European succes was very recent in time.
    Who was in lead before 1800?
    Empires came and went.

    The paradigm shift from agrarian to industrial economy was unprecedented.
  15. Standard memberThequ1ck
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    06 Feb '09 08:431 edit
    Originally posted by Bosse de Nage
    http://www.catchpenny.org/race.html

    Why did Athens turn into a garbage heap after midwifing Western culture?
    "The Human Genome Project determined that 99.9% of the human genetic complement is the same in everyone, regardless of race. This means that the DNA of any two people will differ in one out of every thousand nucleotides, the building blocks of individual genes.

    With more than 3 billion nucleotides in the human genome, about 3 million nucleotides will differ among individuals. While statistically small, this does allow for some variation. "

    This is(nt) a true statement.

    See what I did there? A single nucleotide change.
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