Millennials with college degrees don’t favor censorship

[David Horn]

(05-09-2017, 03:59 PM)Galen Wrote: ...  Most of the precursors for an Industrial Revolution were present in China by the sixteenth century but it and the rise in living standards did not take place there as it did in the west.  Hint:  China never has had anything resembling a free market.  Think about why the standard of living got much better through the nineteenth century and on into the twentieth century.

It's interesting that you pick a book review as your source, but never mind.  Take a few minutes to read the Comments section for other readings of the period in question.  The strongest alternative, and the one that makes the most sense, is the difference in the Europe of the times and the other dynastic empires, including China.  Only Europe had ongoing strife to contend with that mandated every advantage to survive.  This has nothing to do with markets and everything to do with self defense.  Other arguments include the lack of an easily used alphabet, the lack of scientific inquiry and even the complacency of being who they were.  One cited the Gutenberg press.  In other words, its complicated, but citing free markets seems lame.