"In this superb book, Chelsea Follett takes the reader on a time-travel cruise through the great flash points of human activity to catch innovations that have transformed human lives." —From the foreword by bestselling author Matt Ridley (The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything) Where does progress happen? The story of civilization is the story of the city. It is cities that have created and defined the modern world by acting as the sites of pivotal advances in culture, politics, science, technology, and more. There is no question that certain places, at certain times in history,…mehr
"In this superb book, Chelsea Follett takes the reader on a time-travel cruise through the great flash points of human activity to catch innovations that have transformed human lives." —From the foreword by bestselling author Matt Ridley (The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything) Where does progress happen? The story of civilization is the story of the city. It is cities that have created and defined the modern world by acting as the sites of pivotal advances in culture, politics, science, technology, and more. There is no question that certain places, at certain times in history, have contributed disproportionately toward making the world a better place. This book tells the story of 40 of those places. In Centers of Progress: 40 Cities That Changed the World, Chelsea Follett examines a diverse group of cities, ranging from ancient Athens to Song-era Hangzhou. But some common themes stand out: most cities reach their creative peak during periods of peace; most centers of progress also thrive during times of social, intellectual, and economic freedom, as well as openness to intercultural exchange and trade; and centers of progress tend to be highly populated. Because, in every city, it is ultimately the people who live there who drive progress forward—if given the freedom to do so. Identifying common factors—such as relative peace, freedom, and multitudes—among the places that have produced history's greatest achievements is one way to learn what causes progress. Change is a constant, but progress is not. Understanding what makes a place fertile ground for progress may help to sow the seeds of future innovations. Moreover, their story is our story. City air provides the wind in the sails of the modern world. Come journey through these pages to some of history's greatest centers of progress.
Chelsea Follett is the managing editor of Human Progress .org, a project of the Cato Institute that seeks to educate the public on the global improvements in well‐ being by providing free empirical data on long‐ term developments. Her writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Newsweek, Forbes, The Hill, Business Insider, National Review, the Washington Examiner, and Global Policy Journal. She was named to Forbes' 30 under 30 list for 2018 in the category of Law and Policy. She lives in Washington, D.C.
Inhaltsangabe
Introduction Preface / Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Jericho (Agriculture) Chapter 2: Göbekli Tepe (Religion) Chapter 3: Budj Bim (Aquaculture) Chapter 4: Uruk (Writing) Chapter 5: Mohenjo-Daro (Sanitation) Chapter 6: Nan Madol (Seafaring) Chapter 7: Memphis (Medicine) Chapter 8: Ur (Law) Chapter 9: Chichen Itza (Team Sports) Chapter 10: Athens (Philosophy) Chapter 11: Alexandria (Information) Chapter 12: Rome (Roads) Chapter 13: Chang'an (Trade) Chapter 14: Baghdad (Astronomy) Chapter 15: Kyoto (The Novel) Chapter 16: Bologna (Universities) Chapter 17: Hangzhou (Paper Money) Chapter 18: Florence (Art) Chapter 19: Dubrovnik (Public Health) Chapter 20: Benin City (Security) Chapter 21: Mainz (Printing Press) Chapter 22: Seville (Navigation) Chapter 23: Amsterdam (Openness) Chapter 24: Agra (Architecture) Chapter 25: Cambridge (Physics) Chapter 26: Paris (Enlightenment) Chapter 27: Edinburgh (Social Science) Chapter 28: Philadelphia (Liberal Democracy) Chapter 29: Vienna (Music) Chapter 30: Manchester (Industrialization) Chapter 31: London (Emancipation) Chapter 32: Wellington (Suffrage) Chapter 33: Chicago (Railroads) Chapter 34: Los Angeles (Cinema) Chapter 35: New York (Finance) Chapter 36: Hong Kong (Non-Interventionism) Chapter 37: Houston (Spaceflight) Chapter 38: Berlin (Fall of Communism) Chapter 39: Tokyo (Technology) Chapter 40: San Francisco (Digital Revolution) Suggested Further Reading Discussion Questions for Book Clubs & Classrooms