re: #405 Romantic Heretic

My take on it is that Europe was so fragmented at the time.

Because all the fragments of Europe were in constant conflict for power it allowed for a lot of ferment in the intellectual world. If someone came up with an idea and no one with power liked it the originator could just travel a few miles and find someone with power who did.

If it was an idea for how to knock things down, or put holes in people, the powers that be were absolutely interested in that idea. There was riches and honor to incentivize vigorous pursuit of those ideas. (in China, gunpowder was only for the entertainment value of pretty displays in the sky. It never occurred to them it could have destructive uses as well.)