Science is not only a tool of knowledge, but one of significant political importance. Empires provided a perfect foundation for the growth of diverse societies, as they threw together various cultures under one rule. This collection of belief systems and understanding of the world allowed for scientific growth to flourish. Capitalism provided the basis of this growth through its establishment of trust; the ability to invest in future technology finally made new technology possible, and suddenly, industry was born. Political interest in early Europe was based off the myth that connected Catholics and divided them from the Protestants—religion. Proving the geocentric model to prove creationism, European leaders imprisoned bright forward thinkers like Galileo to further their cause. Those who fund scientific progress may also sway the information toward their inherent bias. This can be dangerous, but when in the right hands, technological investments encourage a healthy balance in a capitalist environment.
Progress—not the growth, but the ideology—truly allowed for the implementation and success of a capitalist economy. Suddenly the struggles of everyday society were not unsolvable difficulties, but obstacles necessitating some newfound knowledge not yet discovered. This newfound hope, and comfort in the unknown, encouraged progress in early societies. The realization that undiscovered land lied across the globe pushed discoverers to sail thousands of miles, and the concept of outer space and other planets drove industry to the sky and beyond. Thus, hope in the future, implemented monetarily through credit, and trust in the scientists developing new technology—both provided the necessary basis for capitalism to thrive.
Hello Hali!
I would like to challenge your view just a little bit on the nature of “progress”. In your second paragraph you talk about how we have “moved forward in scientific discovery because of progress”. You seem to imply that this progress is inherently good, as it replaced old understandings of the world based on myths, such as lightning being sent by some god. I would posit that while science has done a lot of good in the world, it has also led to a lot of suffering and destruction, and that when we view science it should be to view it as a tool and not something that inherently brings about benefit. Science has led to the creation of ever-increasingly powerful weapons that have increased the lethality of wars significantly, and it has led to the creation of vaccines that have saved many millions of people from sickness. Since it has that sort of dual nature, I would recommend a critical eye be given towards a view that any scientific development is a form of good “progress”.
Hey Heather,
Please disregard my previous post on this thread–I accidentally put it there when the website crashed and I went back to the wrong thread to finish my reply. Sorry about that!