250. Modern Science Technology and the Founders

In his new book, Civilization: The West and the Rest, Dr. Niall Ferguson made the following statement, "modern science and technology are fundamentally Western products." He also told his readers that the past is really our only reliable source of knowledge to understand our future. Therefore, before we agree with his above statement we are obliged to examine the sources of modern Western science and technology.

We know that the founders of this country worked hard to draw positive elements from Chinese culture in their efforts to build a new nation in North America. Some eminent scientists in North America represented by Benjamin Franklin borrowed some Chinese technologies in making some fundamentally Western products. It was under the help of Kite, an invention of China, that Franklin made the famous scientific test related to electricity.

Now it is very clear, modern western science and technology had incorporated in their progress some scientific and technical elements from China and other countries in the world. For the sake of our understanding better the future, history shouldn't be cut into separated and unrelated pieces but should be pieced together all relevant parts into a big picture. In this sense, I do agree with Dr. Ferguson, "the biggest threat to Western civilization is posed not by other civilizations, but by our own pusillanimity — and by the historical ignorance that feeds it."