Importance is not made of atoms

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One of David Wootton's contentions in The Invention of Science is that the Scientific Revolution is the most important even in human history since the Neolithic Revolution. So it is, per Wootton, more important than, for instance, the Axial Age, the discovery of monotheism, or the rise of Christianity.

I suspect that if Wootton were challenged on this thesis, he would point to the material transformation of the human world occurring in the wake of the Scientific Revolution. But why should that be decisive? "Importance" is itself not a material concept, and thus Wootton certainly cannot indicate material reasons for giving material transformations priority over spiritual ones.

Comments

  1. Samson Corwell6:32 AM

    How did you know that he is a materialist? He might not know about the "Axial Age".

    ReplyDelete

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