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The key ingredient for modernity

Reader comment on item: You Need Beethoven to Modernize
in response to reader comment: Western Music not really necessary for Modernity

Submitted by Anonymous (United States), Feb 6, 2010 at 11:49

Adam Smith is much more relevant to modernization than Beethoven. The world would still be the same without Beethoven or Bach but take away Adam Smith's ideas and we might just be a little slow to understand what makes us prosperous. Free market economics coupled with the rule of law and a respect for meritocracy are key to economic success and it has nothing to do with Christianity or Beethoven. In any free country Beethoven will be either loved or ignored based on personal taste. Western civilization is amazing but let us not go overboard - China and India were amazingly advanced civilizations at different points in history too. Take for instance the ancient Sanskrit grammarian from 2500 BC in India, his contributions to the development of grammar have been summarized thus:

"Panini should be thought of as the forerunner of the modern formal language theory used to specify computer languages. The Backus Normal Form was discovered independently by John Backus in 1959, but Panini's notation is equivalent in its power to that of Backus and has many similar properties. It is remarkable to think that concepts which are fundamental to today's theoretical computer science should have their origin with an Indian genius around 2500 years ago. "

http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/Biographies/Panini.html

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Reader comments (15) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Inconsistency of Music [144 words]M ToveyDec 17, 2020 13:13262232
1For the first time, I disagree with you [46 words]SidNov 13, 2009 17:11164544
Chapeau! [50 words]Cynthia FarahatFeb 7, 2010 11:54164544
Beethoven's pigmentation [444 words]DannyApr 16, 2009 11:20153969
Music banned since Islamic Revolution [21 words]Death to IslamSep 30, 2007 11:32109963
3The man that hath no music in himself... [47 words]Steve MullanyDec 29, 2005 19:5230753
Both take western music too seriously [161 words]Steve MeikleDec 24, 2005 12:5930500
Beethoven & MidEast Success [274 words]H. ShamirDec 24, 2005 12:0530493
Western High and Low Culture [186 words]Samuel SchwartzDec 28, 2005 08:4530493
Polyphony and synchronization [166 words]Edward ChristieDec 20, 2005 09:1330238
Yep! [64 words]Bilbo BagginsMar 15, 2004 21:1314201
Discredited [54 words]AnonymousFeb 6, 2010 11:5614201
Western Music not really necessary for Modernity [687 words]Linas KondratasNov 27, 2002 04:424270
The key ingredient for modernity [209 words]AnonymousFeb 6, 2010 11:494270
psychological aspects of western art music, and a historical response to the 'free enterprise" nonsense [550 words]frankJun 6, 2011 15:054270

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