Recall that the long march of logic, science, and technology began with the Greek mercantile society. A number of other societies experienced golden ages during which they made great leaps forward in science, mathematics, arts, and literature. Here is a short list of such golden ages
I acknowledge the many limitations of this approach, There were plenty of important developments outside of the periods I include here. What about the magnificent cathedrals of the High Middle Ages? Or Shakespeare, who died long before the golden age I specify for Britain? Or Galileo, who appeared just after the period I give for the Italian golden age? I could raise a hundred specifics such as these, but they would be just that: specific individual cases. This table is not meant to include every great genius who graces our history books. Instead, it considers entire societies that seemed to foster greatness in a significant portion of their populations.
The Netherlands provide the clearest example of a golden age. This tiny corner of Europe experienced a burst of creative energy during the ascendancy of its fluytships. During that brilliant century, the Netherlands produced some of the leading scientists of the day: Christiaan Huygens and Anton van Leeuwenhoek. It provided havens for many of the leading thinkers: Descartes, Locke, and Spinoza are three of the most prominent refugees that the Netherlands took in. Rembrandt and Vermeer were only the most famous of an army of brilliant painters who reshaped European painting.
In this table I have attempted to score these societies on a scale of 0 to 10 in three measures:
1. Degree of mercantilism: the importance of merchants in setting the direction of society.
2. Science and math: the collective achievement, scaled by population, in the sciences and mathematics
3. Arts and literature: the collective achievement, scaled by population, in the arts and literature
I repeat that this table represents my opinions about highly subjective material. If you wish to argue for the inclusion of some other society, or the exclusion of one of these, or that I should extend or contract the specified time period, or alter any of the numeric judgements, I won’t insist on my own judgements. The purpose of this table is only to make an important point:
Mercantilism seems to promote a society’s creative energies.
I believe that this is due to the no-nonsense nature of merchant societies. It was clear with the Greeks: all the agricultural societies were run by thugs who relied on physical force to rule. Such people don’t need to be rational. They can simply impose their wishes, however irrational, upon society. But a merchant cannot ignore reality; to be successful, a merchant must learn to respect the logic of reality. A merchant learns to ride with the flow of the river; a king or dictator can build whatever dams or canals he wishes. If you have power, you don’t need to think.
Throughout most of history, the thugs have wielded most of the power. Rarely does a society clear out the thugs so thoroughly that the rational merchants are able to wield enough power to shape the direction of society. In those rare cases in which that happened, the societies made huge leaps forward.
What about France and Germany?
These two societies scored low on the mercantilism column, yet they did enjoy something like golden ages. However, these golden ages were of lesser glory than others, and are diluted in significance because of their high populations. A million monkeys with a million typewriters...
Questions for Readers
1. Would this essay be improved by a detailed discussion of each of these countries?
2. Would it be useful to discuss dull, non-golden ages in different societies?
more detail!!!
tackle the negative