The Enlightenment of the long 18th century was an era of awesome intellectual and cultural transformation. This Enlightenment Vision flowchart is pitched at a high level of abstraction, showing schematically how the philosophical revolution of the 17th century led to the 18th-century revolutions in science, technology, politics, and economics — which in turn led to […]
The Enlightenment Vision — updated flowchart Read More »
The Enlightenment of the long 18th century was an era of awesome intellectual and cultural transformation. My Enlightenment Vision flowchart [pdf] is pitched at a high level of abstraction, showing schematically how the philosophical revolution of the 17th century led to the 18th-century revolutions in science, technology, politics, and economics — which in turn led
The Enlightenment Vision — Flowchart Read More »
Following up on how the shipping container reduced loading costs by 97%, which reminded me of this datum on how steam power dramatically lowered transportation costs: “In pre-steam days it had cost $5 to carry 100 pounds up to Louisville [from New Orleans]. It had dropped to $2 by 1830, and soon fell to 25
More innovation in transportation: steam and canals Read More »
Reprising this post from when I enjoyed George Selgin’s Good Money: Birmingham Button Makers, the Royal Mint, and the Beginnings of Modern Coinage, 1775-1821 (University of Michigan Press, 2008). Come the Industrial Revolution, the number of wage earners rose dramatically, increasing dramatically the need for small denomination coins to pay them and for them to
Private coins and the Industrial Revolution Read More »
Reprising this from when I read E. G. West’s fascinating Education and the Industrial Revolution, which is a powerful argument for the conclusion that … well, let’s first look at some data. Here’s a table comparing school enrollments in various parts of the world with enrollments in England and Wales a century earlier. The table
Count me a huge fan of Rosling’s work: See also his “200 countries, 200 years, 4 minutes.”
Hans Rosling’s magic washing machine Read More »
Stephen Hicks discusses the Enlightenment vision of the eighteenth-century. This is from Part 14 of his Philosophy of Education course. Clips 1-3: Previous: What modernism is. Next: Post-modernism’s themes. Return to the Philosophy of Education page. Return to the StephenHicks.org main page.
The Enlightenment vision Read More »