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The discovery of values
Oct. 29th, 2015 01:45 pmIn the 17th century, the Dutch discovered that private property was good. Then, the British, under the rule of a Dutch king, discovered that private property in combination with a centralized law enforcement system were even better. That kicked off the agricultural revolution which trigged the industrial revolution. Converting financial and human capital into technology turned out to be good too.
In the 18th century, the French and the Americans discovered that certain personal freedoms, e.g. the freedom of speech, were also good. In the 19th century, the Germans figured out that a science-based technology was better than a trial–and-error technology.
In the 20th century, the world ran massively expensive experiments, both wrt human and financial costs, to confirm the universality of the values.
In the end of the 20-21st century many Asia–Pacific countries began implementing policies based on some of the values discovered by the Europeans and the Americans in the 17-19th centuries.
In the 18th century, the French and the Americans discovered that certain personal freedoms, e.g. the freedom of speech, were also good. In the 19th century, the Germans figured out that a science-based technology was better than a trial–and-error technology.
In the 20th century, the world ran massively expensive experiments, both wrt human and financial costs, to confirm the universality of the values.
In the end of the 20-21st century many Asia–Pacific countries began implementing policies based on some of the values discovered by the Europeans and the Americans in the 17-19th centuries.
