Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind · chapter 16 · id sapiens-c16-03-the-unique-combination-of-scie
“The unique combination of science, empire, and capitalism was exclusively European and explains European global dominance from approximately 1500-1950.”
CONTESTEDconfidence: high⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending
Receipts
Goody (2006), The Theft of History, Cambridge UPDOI registry: valid
Eurocentric narratives like Harari's ignore that China, India, and the Islamic world had sophisticated science, commerce, and state institutions. The 'European miracle' rests on selective reading of history.
Parthasarathi (2011), Why Europe Grew Rich and Asia Did Not, Cambridge UPDOI registry: valid
European advantage came from specific geopolitical contingencies (New World resources, coal near population centers), not inherent cultural superiority in science or capitalism.
Pomeranz (2000), The Great Divergence, Princeton UPDOI registry: valid
Europe's divergence from Asia was largely contingent on access to New World resources and the geographic accident of coal deposits near population centers, not on unique cultural or intellectual traditions.
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