Western tradition, beginning with Aristotle, identifies
Thales of Miletus as the first philosopher and dates the beginning of Western
philosophy from 585 BC. In that year, Thales was the first to predict an
eclipse of the sun. Thales used reason to understand creational effects and
their causes. By doing so, he was able to establish freedom, in this case some
critical distance, between human beings and these effects.
In An Historian’s
Approach to Religion (1956), English historian Arnold Toynbee highlights
the invention or intentional spread of major technological innovations in the
West before 1648:
First century BC: The Romans, in possession of Gallia
which has much arable land but few people, invent a primitive but effective
reaper which significantly boosts agricultural production.
AD 400-1100: despite the Dark Age, water mills spread
throughout the former western provinces of the Roman Empire.
600: “The decisive invention, which opened the way for
all the rest by producing a margin of wealth beyond what was required for bare
subsistence, was the heavy plough…” (Toynbee, 224). This plow allowed the much
heavier soils of northern Europe to be successfully cultivated.
900-1100: Westerners defy tradition by using reason to
intentionally modify the ancient harness used with oxen to create a new harness
capable of taking full advantage of the power of horses, mules, and donkeys in
plowing.
1000: Westerners invent the crossbow and, with it, the
first new developments in body armor and shields since Roman times.
1100: Windmills begin their spread wherever useful
throughout Latin Christendom.
1400s: Westerners design, build, and rig ships that are qualitatively
better than any other ships on Earth and are eventually able to sail around the
world. With that unprecedented success, they are able to take command of the
oceans, discover new lands, and take control of them.
Before and during the Age of Christendom (AD 1-1648),
Westerners intentionally used reason to free themselves from control by the
rest of creation. They used it to observe creational effects and determine
their creational causes. By doing so, they were able to develop and disseminate
technological innovations that worked with creation to increase its
fruitfulness but also harness its power. More ominously, they were also able to
increase their own power over others through developments in military and
transportation technologies.
Copyright © 2018
by Steven Farsaci.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.
All rights reserved. Fair use encouraged.