Where would we be.......

Tychu · Post by **Tychu** » 2004-12-18 05:33pm

I was just curious after reading the Roman vs. Medieval Europe thing

Now its been asked around for quite some time now through the generations and centuries by the knowledgable on where will we be right now if it wasnt for the middle ages. Some say that it set us back 500 years of developement, so i was wondering what you guys thought wed be right now? could George Washington have been the first to the moon or something?

The Vodka Vindicator · Post by **The Vodka Vindicator** » 2004-12-19 08:30pm

actually your timeframe is a bit off so it would be more like Colombus on the moon and washington on planet X-202303092343294232439

Predator · Post by **Predator** » 2004-12-19 09:06pm

I think an interesting question relating somewhat to this is, how would things be different if the civilisations of europe and the middle east had never adopted monotheism on a large scale?

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman · Post by **Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman** » 2004-12-20 06:32am

Predator wrote:I think an interesting question relating somewhat to this is, how would things be different if the civilisations of europe and the middle east had never adopted monotheism on a large scale?

Generally more peaceful world we live today?

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2004-12-20 06:48am

It wasn't so much the Middle Ages as the entire period from the fall of the Roman Empire until the 15-16th centuries that was a dark period for Western Civilisation. So we're looking at something like a millenium of delay in progress.

Imperial Overlord · Post by **Imperial Overlord** » 2004-12-20 06:57am

The Romans weren't big on scientific progress, but with such a large educated population it might have come anyway. I have a great grandfather who worked on draining the swamps around Rome, which weren't finally cleared up until Mussolini came to power. They had been drained in Roman times. Roads were inferior until at least the 18th Century at the earliest. Lots of good engineering went down the drain.

Of course, we might also be stuck living in a conservative, slave owning autocracy.

kheegster · Post by **kheegster** » 2004-12-20 07:12am

Imperial Overlord wrote:The Romans weren't big on scientific progress, but with such a large educated population it might have come anyway. I have a great grandfather who worked on draining the swamps around Rome, which weren't finally cleared up until Mussolini came to power. They had been drained in Roman times. Roads were inferior until at least the 18th Century at the earliest. Lots of good engineering went down the drain.

Of course, we might also be stuck living in a conservative, slave owning autocracy.

That's a good point, I must say....the scientific method is a unique invention of the Renaissance period in many ways. Many other societies have achieved social stability and prosperity (Ancient Egypt, China, Hellenic Greece etc), but never did do science as we know it.

Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba · Post by **Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba** » 2004-12-20 08:28am

kheegan wrote: That's a good point, I must say....the scientific method is a unique invention of the Renaissance period in many ways. Many other societies have achieved social stability and prosperity (Ancient Egypt, China, Hellenic Greece etc), but never did do science as we know it.

Then again, Greek civilosation, especially Athens, was the foundation Western medecine(Hippocratic Oath, sutures, etc), philosophy(Democracy, individual rights, the famous ones like Socrates and Plato), and were actually quite scientific, believing in a round Earth and all that jazz.