Tag: scientific-rationalism
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Why did it take so long for humans to have the Industrial Revolution?
Marginal Revolution: Why did it take so long for humans to have the Industrial Revolution? … More generally, extended periods of economic growth require that technologies of defense outweigh technologies of predation. They may also require that the successful defender, at the same time, has good enough technology to predate someone else and accumulate a…
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Four Keys to Modern Prosperity: Technology & Infrastructure (Part 1)
Western Advances We have briefly reviewed three of William J. Bernstein's four factors that led to today's unprecedented prosperity: property rights, scientific rationalism, and capital markets. Bernstein refers to the fourth factor as "power, transportation, and light." I'm simply referring to this as "technology and infrastructure." (1) Not every technological innovation that contributed to Europe's…
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Four Keys to Modern Prosperity: Scientific Rationalism
Scientific Rationalism “Thou has ordered all things in measure and number and weight.” (Wisdom of Solomon 11:20) The second factor that led to unprecedented prosperity, according to William J. Bernstein, is reason, specifically science. (1) While I agree with Bernstein about the centrality of reason to the expansion of prosperity, I differ with him on…
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Theology and Economics: The Impact of Conservative Foundationalism
Liberal foundationalism became partners with modernist intellectuals in the demythologizing project. Conservative foundationalism headed in another direction. Conservative foundationalists became defenders of the traditional sacred and supernatural aspects of the Christian faith. However, like their liberal counterparts, they appropriated the tools of Enlightenment modernists to support their aims. I wrote that liberal foundationalism searches for…
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Theology and Economics: Scientific Rationalism
The second factor that led to unprecedented prosperity, according to William J. Bernstein, is reason, specifically science. (1) While I agree with Bernstein about the centrality of reason to the expansion of prosperity, I differ with him on his analysis of the origins of scientific rationalism. Bernstein subscribes to a widely held view that places…