Can ideological diversity and disobedience to authority lead to the development of science and technology?
During the Tang and Song dynasties, China was a world leader in politics, navigation, and sea power. China has won many honors as "the best in technology", such as cast iron, compass, papermaking, printing, etc. At the beginning of the 15th century, China's ocean-going fleet amounted to 280,000 men, hundreds of ships, an average of 400 feet, as far as the east coast of Africa, long before Columbus.
However, the Chinese fleet did not go west around the Cape of Good Hope, and was led by the Portuguese Vasco da Gama with three ships to go east around the Cape of Good Hope, ushering in the era of European colonization of East Asia. The Chinese fleet also did not cross the Pacific Ocean and reached the west coast of the Americas.
Why is China, which is superior in technology, overtaken by Europe, which is lagging behind?
This may be due to the political changes in China. From 1405 to 1433, China went to the Western Ocean seven times, but the fleet was suspended, the dock was abandoned, and the imperial court forbade the sea. The political and technological differences between China and Europe stem from the historical background. From the Qin Dynasty onwards, China achieved political unification, which continues to this day. Throughout history, China has had only one writing system, and the culture was unified for 2,000 years. Europe, on the other hand, was never unified, with about 1,000 small independent states in the 14th century, remaining 500 by 1500, and now 25 and growing. Although there are now 45 languages spoken in Europe, each country has its own alphabet and cultural differences, and internal differences have not been eliminated to this day, and it is difficult to reach a consensus even on economic cooperation and alliances, showing that Europe is resolutely opposed to **.
Therefore, China lost its dominant position in modern history and was replaced by Europe, and Europe's diversity led Europe in modern science and technology.
In addition to Europe's diversity advantages, there is another important factor. It was the collapse of the European Church in the Middle Ages. The authority of the Church was shattered by religious wars.
In the process of the collapse of authority, Europeans not only stopped trusting that authority, but gradually transitioned to doing everything against authority.
In ancient Europe, the power of the Church and the single interpretation of the meaning of life (i.e., the salvation of the soul) left society in a closed state, hindering the development of commerce and consumption. This notion is like a narrow path, in which people are trapped and cannot extricate themselves, and if they dare to violate it, they face endless retribution. However, this closed model gradually changed after reaching its peak in the 14th century (about the time when the Ming Dynasty was established).
First, the return of the Crusades and their portrayal of the Islamic world flourishing outside made Europeans curious and eager for the unknown. With the prolonged spread of the Black Death, the authority of the church was discredited, leading to the emergence of a variety of new denominations in the field of religion in Europe. These new sects sought to challenge the established authority of Catholicism, which led to more than three decades of European civil war, the Third Reformation, which decimated the European population by nearly half.
More crucially, in this Reformation, people did not completely abandon traditional beliefs, but shifted from blindly following authority to opposing it. As the authority of Catholicism gradually waned, people began to reflect on their persistent idea of "entering the kingdom of heaven" and what was the true meaning of life. It is precisely in this way that Europe has entered a process of enlightenment of spiritual civilization.
The Dragon Kingdom has always been severely lacking in diversity, and has never disobeyed any authority.
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