[MrB]

Read an interesting book recently on the rise of modern science with a comparison between the West, Islam, and China.

China has always had high levels of technology, but never developed modern science on their own. Technology is using scientific principles, but science is understanding them. Thus they could have rockets without understanding jet propulsion.

Also, their ancestor worship has resulted in a culture where you aren’t allowed to go out “on your own” until you’ve mastered copying those who have gone before you.

[DoughtyOne]

That’s a good tagline.

[muawiyah]

Discovery has a good series on the Sun Dynasty. The oil derricks they built centuries ago are still in the oil fields.

Problem appears to have been the small size of their industrial and scientific class and a distinct lack of capital.