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[Answer] Why wasn't science invented in China?
Best of LessWrong 2019

While the scientific method developed in pieces over many centuries and places, Joseph Ben-David argues that in 17th century Europe there was a rapid accumulation of knowledge, restricted to a small area for about 200 years. Ruby explores whether this is true and why it might be, aiming to understand "what causes intellectual progress, generally?"

by Ruby
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472Welcome to LessWrong!
Ruby, Raemon, RobertM, habryka
6y
74
945AGI Ruin: A List of Lethalities
Ω
Eliezer Yudkowsky
3y
Ω
711
902Where I agree and disagree with Eliezer
Ω
paulfchristiano
3y
Ω
224
867Eight Short Studies On Excuses
Scott Alexander
15y
253
845Preface
Eliezer Yudkowsky
10y
17
787The Best Textbooks on Every Subject
lukeprog
15y
416
680What an actually pessimistic containment strategy looks like
lc
3y
138
678SolidGoldMagikarp (plus, prompt generation)
Ω
Jessica Rumbelow, mwatkins
2y
Ω
206
656AI 2027: What Superintelligence Looks Like
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Daniel Kokotajlo, Thomas Larsen, elifland, Scott Alexander, Jonas V, romeo
3mo
Ω
222
650Simulators
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janus
3y
Ω
168
115
An Opinionated Guide to Using Anki Correctly
Luise
4h
24
135
Comparing risk from internally-deployed AI to insider and outsider threats from humans
Ω
Buck
3d
Ω
20
492
A case for courage, when speaking of AI danger
So8res
6d
118
269
Foom & Doom 1: “Brain in a box in a basement”
Ω
Steven Byrnes
9d
Ω
102
97
Proposal for making credible commitments to AIs.
Cleo Nardo
13d
43
154
X explains Z% of the variance in Y
Leon Lang
16d
33
224
Do Not Tile the Lightcone with Your Confused Ontology
Ω
Jan_Kulveit
19d
Ω
27
173
Futarchy's fundamental flaw
dynomight
22d
48
168
Estrogen: A trip report
cube_flipper
25d
41
81
A Straightforward Explanation of the Good Regulator Theorem
Alfred Harwood
1mo
29
142
Broad-Spectrum Cancer Treatments
sarahconstantin
1mo
10
150
The Best Reference Works for Every Subject
Parker Conley
1mo
27
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