The differences between rice and wheat agriculture: China and the west. The use of water and wind power and the importance of the stirrup and the shoeing of horses. The agricultural revolution in the west. The importance of irrigation systems. The early influence of monastic orders like the Benedictines with their water wheels and time consciousness. The improvement of water wheels and its importance in the industrial revolution. Bamboo, iron and pumping. The development of experimentation in agriculture. The development of gunpowder weapons in China and the west. The rapid development of scientific instruments. The American system of mass production.

back to CONVERSATIONS