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Why was progress so slow in the past?
- jschveibinz 4y agoGood article. Thank you.
- credit_guy 4y agoProgress was not always slow. Consider ancient Egypt. First pharaoh was in about 3100 BC, but Egypt did not build pyramids until about 2670 BC [1]. Then boom, in just 100 years they constructed the Great Pyramid of Giza [2]. In 100 years the advanced from a step pyramid that was 62 m tall (quite impressive in itself) to one that was almost 150 m, and which stood as the tallest building for almost 4000 years. No matter how you look at it, those 100 years between 2670 BC and 2570 BC experienced a technological leap comparable with the Industrial Revolution. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_of_Djoser [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pyramid_of_Giza
- tuatoru 4y agoFor those interested, there is a recent book that summarizes the current (or near-current) state of the debate about growth: How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth by Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin.[1] The various schools/arguments are categorized under Geography, Politics (Imperialism/Colonization), Institutions, and Culture. 1. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VNRJZ31 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09VNRJZ31