Technology and Development in Asia

Until the scientific revolution of the 18th century, global material wealth had increased at a snail's pace. Then a burst of knowledge and innovation ignited economic growth in a way never before experienced. This revolution followed two centuries of painstaking scientific discovery and trial and error that began around the time of the European renaissance. DeLong (1998) estimates that it took 15,000 years to double per capita income from hunter-gatherer levels to where it stood around 1750. Global per capita income then quickly gained altitude, fueled by relentless scientific learning and discovery. Just 250 years later, global per capita income has ascended by 73 times what it was in hunter gatherer societies.