Are we going the way of the Ming?

The Ming dynasty famously went into isolationist decline towards the middle of the second millennium, after an impressive run.  Noah Smith at The Week believes the U.S. is in danger of the same fate, in part from its isolationism, in part from a neglect of STEM studies, but mostly because from the complacency that besets civilizations that perceive themselves in a "Golden Age."

A remarkable aspect of Smith's piece is the complete avoidance of market forces.  Maybe that's part of the STEM studies that, as he acknowledges, too many people find too hard to tackle.  He has a glimmer of a notion that civilizations deteriorate when they try to insulate themselves from competition, but he doesn't seem to see the economic implication.

1 comment:

E Hines said...

Oddly, a new book is out that overlaps with this to a large extent, if the reviews are accurate (I've not yet read the book): The Triple Package: How Three Unlikely Traits Explain the Rise and Fall of Cultural Groups in America by Amy Chua (Tiger Mom).

Her central thesis is that successful groups of immigrants share three traits when they come to the US, and these three are at the foundation of their initial better performance: a superiority complex, feelings of insecurity and impulse control.

And so it is with American culture generally.

Eric Hines