Non-Archimedean modernities

Bibliographic Data

ID11936044
AuthorsWalter Scheidel (0000-0003-2776-0328, Departments of Classics and History, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume47
Issue3-4
Pages520-529
Publication date2022-10-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueInterdisciplinary Science Reviews (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0308-0188 • E-ISSN: 1743-2790
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/03080188.2022.2108965
OpenAlexW4312839955
LanguageEN
References cited16

This paper responds to Reviel Netz’s attempt to link modernizing development in Europe to the legacy of the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes. It defends the value of the kind of counterfactual reasoning that underpins Netz’s effort and contextualizes his argument within the broader context of the debate about the origins of the ‘Great Divergence’ between Europe and other parts of the world. The nexus between Archimedean insights and the development of the modern steam engine posited by Netz receives critical attention: we must ask to what extent counterfactual alternative modes of modernization might allow us to dissociate modernization from ancient Greek legacies. Finally, this paper draws attention to the political implications of presenting an exceptionalist vision of developmental features that are held to be uniquely associated with ancient Greece and early modern Europe, concluding that special care needs to be taken in employing this contentious perspective

Ancient Greece · Archaeology · Argument (complex analysis · Context (archaeology · Counterfactual thinking · Divergence (linguistics · Economics · Epistemology · Linguistics · Modernization theory · Nexus (standard · Political science · Politics · Positive economics · Sociology · Classics · Computer Science · Economic Theory and Institutions · Historical Economic and Social Studies · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions

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