(2023 Youtube upload)

On 5/7/23 08:58, gggg gggg wrote:
> (2023 Youtube upload)

An absolutely important book.
https://www.amazon.com/How-West-Grew-Rich-Transformation/dp/0465031099

zel22
5.0 out of 5 stars What Every Politician Needs to Know!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book provides the best description of the origins of capitalism and
why it is so superior to all other systems that there is no thinking
person that would want socialism. It is written in "prof-speak" meaning
that at times the language is overly long and complex, but if you can
get through the doctoral thesis stuff, you will learn an enormous amount
of history and economics that is rarely taught, much less applied, in
our current environment of politically motivated ignorance.

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luigi turrio
5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece in a poorly edited e-book vest/ un
capolavoro in una veste e-book misera
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on September 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
The book is simply a masterpiece. It added a lot to my idea of world
history, it is easily readable remaining accurate. If you are interested
in history, politics or economics must read it.

T. Burkard
5.0 out of 5 stars And you thought economics was boring...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 23, 2008
Verified Purchase
If you ever wondered why ancient China failed to capitalise on its
undoubted technological superiority over the West, this is the book for
you. We now take our pluralist, law-based society for granted, and we
fail to understand how crucial these factors are to our prosperity and
security. Alas, the concepts of liberty and private property are far
from being the norm. The concept of limited government is alien to
Oriental thinking, and indeed to most cultures. The Chinese, like most
autocratic governments, understood that wealthy men (and women) were
potential rivals for power, and they believed that the stability of
society--to say nothing of their own necks--were at risk if their
authority were challenged.

The Athenian experiment didn't last too long, and the concept of a
pluralist society didn't re-emerge until the Renaissance, and the birth
of societies based on trade and banking. The Dutch and later the British
copied this model--these were countries which already possessed the
rudiments of a pluralist, property-based economy.

Now, the Chinese have unleashed a genie that the aging Communist
gerontocracy will never control altogether. However, the weakness of
their political and legal institutions will soon be tested, especially
if their markets in the West dry up. And dry up they most likely will,
as we are moving away from the liberal concepts that made European
civilisation great. Make no mistake, dead white European males created a
revolution which has liberated the mass of mankind from wretched
poverty, oppression and disease.

Rosenberg and Birdzell have written a masterpiece--it's well-written and
non-technical. It should be a set text for all modern history
courses--but of course, this will never happen. Our academics are
steeped in post-modernist doctrine, and they are as distrustful of human
freedom as were the mandarins in ancient China.

On 5/8/23 10:14, a425couple wrote:
> On 5/7/23 08:58, gggg gggg wrote:
>> (2023 Youtube upload)
>
> An absolutely important book.
> https://www.amazon.com/How-West-Grew-Rich-Transformation/dp/0465031099
>
>
another customer review

Customer Review
Roger
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Explanation Yet
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 12, 2015
Verified Purchase
I have read every book and article I can find on what I will call the
Modern Breakthrough -- from a destitute, illiterate, unhealthy
Malthusian world of pretty much every place for all time, to the modern
world of relative prosperity, health, freedom and knowledge. This book
is probably the single best summary of the factors which were necessary
to the breakthrough, or series of breakthroughs (they actually mention
at least five -- the expansion of trading and markets, the first and
second industrial revolution, the modern information/technology
revolution, and science).

I will allow, no encourage, everyone to read the book themselves for the
details, but the basic concept is that what was different in Western
Europe from other times and places was decentralized authority and
decision making. Problem solving necessary for the advancement of the
human condition is a cooperative affair, but cooperation can emerge both
top down (via hierarchy and control) and bottoms up in a decentralized,
diverse way. The West blossomed by allowing more of the latter to emerge
than in other societies controlled by custom, bureaucracy, despotism,
the status quo, and guilds.

The West, concentrated first in Britain and later much broader, first
and foremost did less to stop innovation. Just as dramatically, it
created (greatly without conscious intent) institutions which actually
required or demanded innovation, experimentation, incremental
improvement, efficiency and organizational adaptiveness. The book is
about the details illustrating this unique situation. How it evolved.
Why it evolved. Why it was so different.

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:58:55 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> (2023 Youtube upload)

Here is the answer according to the Chatbot BARD:

There are many factors that contributed to the West becoming richer than the rest of the world. Some of these factors include:

Geography: The West is located in a temperate climate zone, which is ideal for agriculture and human habitation.
Resources: The West has abundant natural resources, such as coal, iron, and oil.
Technology: The West has a long history of technological innovation, which has allowed it to produce goods and services more efficiently.
Trade: The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of the world for centuries, which has helped to spread its wealth and ideas.
Institutions: The West has developed strong institutions, such as property rights, rule of law, and a free market economy. These institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth.

It is important to note that the West's wealth is not evenly distributed. There is still significant poverty and inequality within the West, and many people in the developing world are still much poorer than people in the West. However, the West as a whole is much richer than the rest of the world, and this wealth has been created by a combination of factors, including the ones listed above.

On 5/10/23 21:50, gggg gggg wrote:
> On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:58:55 AM UTC-7, wrote:
>> (2023 Youtube upload)
>
> Here is the answer according to the Chatbot BARD:
>
>
> There are many factors that contributed to the West becoming richer than the rest of the world. Some of these factors include:
>
> Geography: The West is located in a temperate climate zone, which is ideal for agriculture and human habitation.
> Resources: The West has abundant natural resources, such as coal, iron, and oil.
> Technology: The West has a long history of technological innovation, which has allowed it to produce goods and services more efficiently.
> Trade: The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of the world for centuries, which has helped to spread its wealth and ideas.
> Institutions: The West has developed strong institutions, such as property rights, rule of law, and a free market economy. These institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth.
>
> It is important to note that the West's wealth is not evenly distributed. There is still significant poverty and inequality within the West, and many people in the developing world are still much poorer than people in the West. However, the West as a whole is much richer than the rest of the world, and this wealth has been created by a combination of factors, including the ones listed above.

True enough 8 g's, but that certainly seems like a very circular
non-answer.

Why does "The West has a long history of technological innovation" ?

Why has "The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of
the world for centuries" ?
Also the Moslem world certainly did engage in trade (and wished to
continue to dominate it and control it).

Why did "The West has developed strong institutions, ---- These
institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth."
Why did the other areas of the world's population resist these ideas?

I say the simplest answer is "the West" had very diffused power bases,
so they had to allow other ideas, and other answers to give it a try.
"The West" had no single religious dictator that was able to make
final rulings. "The West" had no single political dictator that
was able to make final rulings and make them stick.

On Friday, May 12, 2023 at 11:59:02 AM UTC-7, a425couple wrote:
> On 5/10/23 21:50, gggg gggg wrote:
> > On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:58:55 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> >> (2023 Youtube upload)
> >
> > Here is the answer according to the Chatbot BARD:
> >
> >
> > There are many factors that contributed to the West becoming richer than the rest of the world. Some of these factors include:
> >
> > Geography: The West is located in a temperate climate zone, which is ideal for agriculture and human habitation.
> > Resources: The West has abundant natural resources, such as coal, iron, and oil.
> > Technology: The West has a long history of technological innovation, which has allowed it to produce goods and services more efficiently.
> > Trade: The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of the world for centuries, which has helped to spread its wealth and ideas.
> > Institutions: The West has developed strong institutions, such as property rights, rule of law, and a free market economy. These institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth.
> >
> > It is important to note that the West's wealth is not evenly distributed. There is still significant poverty and inequality within the West, and many people in the developing world are still much poorer than people in the West. However, the West as a whole is much richer than the rest of the world, and this wealth has been created by a combination of factors, including the ones listed above.
> True enough 8 g's, but that certainly seems like a very circular
> non-answer.
>
> Why does "The West has a long history of technological innovation" ?
>
> Why has "The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of
> the world for centuries" ?
> Also the Moslem world certainly did engage in trade (and wished to
> continue to dominate it and control it).
>
> Why did "The West has developed strong institutions, ---- These
> institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth."
> Why did the other areas of the world's population resist these ideas?
>
> I say the simplest answer is "the West" had very diffused power bases,
> so they had to allow other ideas, and other answers to give it a try.
> "The West" had no single religious dictator that was able to make
> final rulings. "The West" had no single political dictator that
> was able to make final rulings and make them stick.

Are you saying that rather than having to deal with limits imposed from above, the average person in the West was given considerable leeway in pursuing new ways of thinking and doing things?

Would non-Westerners say that they only doubt they have about those in the West is:

- Are they anxious to see how far they can go, or,

Are they overanxious to see just how much they can get away with?

On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:58:55 AM UTC-7, wrote:
> (2023 Youtube upload)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OQmvRUdr3U

On 5/12/23 21:19, gggg gggg wrote:
> On Friday, May 12, 2023 at 11:59:02 AM UTC-7, a425couple wrote:
>> On 5/10/23 21:50, gggg gggg wrote:
>>> On Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 8:58:55 AM UTC-7, wrote:
>>>> (2023 Youtube upload)
>>>
>>> Here is the answer according to the Chatbot BARD:
>>>
>>>
>>> There are many factors that contributed to the West becoming richer than the rest of the world. Some of these factors include:
>>>
>>> Geography: The West is located in a temperate climate zone, which is ideal for agriculture and human habitation.
>>> Resources: The West has abundant natural resources, such as coal, iron, and oil.
>>> Technology: The West has a long history of technological innovation, which has allowed it to produce goods and services more efficiently.
>>> Trade: The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of the world for centuries, which has helped to spread its wealth and ideas.
>>> Institutions: The West has developed strong institutions, such as property rights, rule of law, and a free market economy. These institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth.
>>>
>>> It is important to note that the West's wealth is not evenly distributed. There is still significant poverty and inequality within the West, and many people in the developing world are still much poorer than people in the West. However, the West as a whole is much richer than the rest of the world, and this wealth has been created by a combination of factors, including the ones listed above.
>> True enough 8 g's, but that certainly seems like a very circular
>> non-answer.
>>
>> Why does "The West has a long history of technological innovation" ?
>>
>> Why has "The West has been engaged in trade with other parts of
>> the world for centuries" ?
>> Also the Moslem world certainly did engage in trade (and wished to
>> continue to dominate it and control it).
>>
>> Why did "The West has developed strong institutions, ---- These
>> institutions have created a favorable environment for economic growth."
>> Why did the other areas of the world's population resist these ideas?
>>
>> I say the simplest answer is "the West" had very diffused power bases,
>> so they had to allow other ideas, and other answers to give it a try.
>> "The West" had no single religious dictator that was able to make
>> final rulings. "The West" had no single political dictator that
>> was able to make final rulings and make them stick.
>
> Are you saying that rather than having to deal with limits imposed from above, the average person in the West was given considerable leeway in pursuing new ways of thinking and doing things?
>

I would say that the interested and involved person in the West
had more opportunity to try new ideas that those prior, or
in other cultures. These allowed many innovations. Martin Luther
survived and quite a few other's began the Protestant Reformation.
thus many economic ideas received approval, rather than prohibitions.

> Would non-Westerners say that they only doubt they have about those in the West is:
>
> - Are they anxious to see how far they can go, or,
>
> Are they overanxious to see just how much they can get away with?

OK, kind of both. Trying new things can go wrong, but change is
the only way to seriously improve.