“The feedback loop between Science, Empire, and Capital has arguably been history’s chief engine for the past 500 years.” (pg. 306) I agree with Harari’s comment about how Science, Empire, and Capital have shaped society for the last 500 years. In the prime of the British Empire, Britain controlled a massive amount of land and property. With such a large Empire, Science and Capital increased because of how large the British Empire was. When one of the three advances, it causes the others to advance also because of the increase of one. One example of how scientific discoveries shaped political and fiscal interests was when Captain Cook and his crew discovered the natives of Tasmania. The Europeans quickly drove of the locals from the “richest” parts of the island. After Cook’s men killed off every Tasmanian, they studied the bodies of the dead. This is an example of how Capital drove off the population of Tasmania and lead to the science of studying the deceased natives.
I agree with Harari when he said that “progress” plays a pivotal role in the linkage of Science, Empire, and Capital. To have a society flourish, progress must advance and keep advancing instead of stalling. Science, Empire, and Capital must have progress to have a unified and strong country. Without progress, none of these will play a factor in society. Out of these three, I think that Empire is the most important to have in a successful country. When you grow an Empire, this indirectly increases your capital. When Capital increases, money for science becomes more abundant and this allows for more scientific discoveries to help with the “progress” of modern societies. Without an Empire or a successful country, Science and Capital becomes more difficult to advance forward.