The West and the Rest. Is the West winning tech race?

I will admit to you my favorite game (and probably the only one I play). It is Sid Meier's "Civilization". I don't know if you all know it, although most of you probably do. In this game you create a civilisation of your choice from the dawn of civilisation (4000 B.C.) to the present day - nanotechnology and AI.

I like to compare book knowledge in the area of civilisation history with what is designed in the game.

But first let's try to define what the concept of civilisation is. It is a very difficult concept to define. We are not in the academy here, so I will give my simplified understanding. For me, it is the resultant of culture, science and technology, which makes people's lives better and we experience progress: in science, in living standards, in technological development.

And coming back to the game - I always play Poland, but I have seen in my favorite game the Babylonians flying to the moon, or the Zulus conquering the planet militarily. The Zulus, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Songhai, the Aztecs, the Mayans-the great civilisations that nobody remembers today. Why?

Or put another way- let's talk about the elephant in the living room- China.

In the 16th century, China stood far above England in terms of civilisational development.

It had excellent irrigation and, above all, a network of canals that provided an excellent network of communication within the so-called old kingdom.

The West lived to see such a network of canals 200 years later - the English Canal, the Erie Canal in America, the Toulouse Canal - the Mediterranean.

The Chinese were also the first to invent gunpowder, paper money (counterfeiting was punishable by death), paper itself, the crossbow, the compass or porcelain. Not to mention others.

And it was the Chinese who really ushered in the age of great geographical discoveries, not the West.

One of the most well-known and accomplished Chinese admirals in history is Admiral Zheng He. Zheng He, also known as Cheng Ho, was an eunuch who served as a trusted advisor and military commander during the early Ming Dynasty in China.

Zheng He is particularly famous for leading several massive maritime expeditions known as the "Treasure Voyages." These voyages took place between 1405 and 1433 during the Ming Dynasty, and they were intended to showcase China's power, enhance diplomatic relations, and promote trade. Zheng He commanded a fleet of colossal ships, some of which were reported to be the largest wooden ships ever built at the time.

They came as far as the eastern shore of Africa (today’s Kenia).

Why, then, are Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Marco Polo the symbols of great geographical voyages and not Zheng He?

Why was a small kingdom like Portugal the forerunner of great journeys?

And why do we all walk around the world in blue jeans and, if not, Western-style clothes?

British historian Niall Ferguson, author of 'Civilisation, the West and the Rest', points to several factors in the success of the West over other civilisations.

But the most important, primary factor that determines civilisational superiority is COMPETITION.

After the 'black' plague epidemic in the 14th century, Europe thinned out considerably. The empires of the east (China, India, Persia) were still densely populated. According to Ferguson, as well as according to another excellent economic historian Daron Acemoglu, it is easier for government to control a larger society because people tend to conform.

When lower population density comes into play, competition arises. Taking the example of the early European Renaissance-peasants against nobility, bourgeoisie against peasants and nobility, nobility against peasants and bourgeoisie and kings. On top of this, the church plays its game. And on top of that, Protestantism appears in various confessions ( Lutheranim, Calvinism and then other denominations).

And this competition has allowed Europe to continually improve. And to the constant competition of ideas. This has resulted in growth. And the fact that the Western way of dressing (like the mentioned blue jeans) is the guiding style in the world today.

And finally, let us return to the examples of Portugal and Zhang He cited.

Portugal's example seems simpler. But it too is the result of Ferguson's 'competition theory'. Pushed to the ocean coast by the Castilians and Moors, the kingdom had to come up with its own idea to survive. They realised they had a good set of winds to the west coast of Africa and back. Within a few decades they had reached India. If they didn't have a rival suffocating them they would still probably be herding sheep in the mountains and fishing for cod in the coastal waters. And so they became one of the Emperors. Suffice it to say that they created today's Brazil.

And now Zhange He. This outstanding explorer was closely dependent on the imperial court. In contrast, Columbus was like a good start-up funded by a wise VC. He had enough independence in the project to see it through.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, China, as a densely populated and ethnically monolithic country, easily succumbs to the civilisation of bureaucrats. They do not create competition. What I show in the attached photo is the historic (1500+) examination centre of the imperial bureaucrats in Nanjing (the old capital of China before Bejing).

Preening students took a rigid exam in law, principles of Confucianism etc. in these little clits. Guarded by the military, of course.

They therefore had perfectly formed minds. These minds excelled at creating outstanding engineering designs. But in the 19th century, the West overwhelmed China and took control of Chinese ports. The Chinese today call 'this century of ascension'.

Today, the Chinese are on pretty cool footing with the West. In the era of AI and autonomous cities, the Chinese are doing all kinds of PR to show that this is true. On the other hand, the former head of Google China, Kai Ful Lee stated that the West will not l win the AI race against China.

Do you think the West will win? What do you think of the idea of competition of ideas as the nucleus of 'civilisation'?