James Burke : Connections, Episode 3, "Distant Voices", 3 of 5 (CC)

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Episode 3 of James Burke's most well-known series "Connections" which explores the surprising and unexpected ways that our modern technological world came into existence. Each episode investigates the background of usually one particular modern invention and how it came into being. These explorations are an attempt to locate the "connections" between various historical figures who seemingly had nothing to do with each other in their own times, however once connected, these same figures combined to produce some of the most profound impacts on our modern day world; in a "1+1=3" type of way.

It is this type of investigation that is the main idea behind the Knowledge Web project; whereby sophisticated software is used to attempt to discover these subtle interconnections automatically. See http://k-web.org.

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[fourteenwordsisall]

How come the Chinese did`nt discover how to grow aquatic rice until the 18th century?

Ex oriente lux is an anti-White racist philosophy.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Never heard of it. And anyway, try to refrain from political and/or references to "racism" (an anti-human philosophy ;)).

The topic here is supposed to be science. So let's stick to questions that, at least in theory, can be answered one way or the other.

Mr. Burke's remarks on these development paths and corresponding philosophies are mere speculation; not worth arguing over. Maybe he's right, maybe not. If we can show either then we have something to say. If not, pointless sophistry follows.

[Grak70]

What does rice cultivation have to do with the invention of gun-powder? Culture, like evolution, is not a ladder.

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Who said it did? Rice cultivation however (let's assume for the sake of argument that someone did say the two were related) depends on regular rain fall and the advent of irrigation which teaches you mathematics and astronomy which leads to large communities which leads to celebrations which are enhanced by making loud noises to imitate thunder and hence the celebration rainfall depends partly on gunpowder.

Good enough?

[unchiekun]

I found this series in my college library in the 1990's, and it was one connection that changed the way i thought ever since. I am so happy to have found all this in one location

Thank you!!

[JamesBurkeWeb]

Not at all. Enjoy "rediscovering" it. You'll be surprised at the things you may have missed the 1st time around...

[mpc91]

The only brainwashed person here is you. It is your ignorance on display.

He doesn't try to rationalize colonialism, just explain it in context.

But you are the one who is trying to justify your politics and revisionist history.

[masterbayshun0]

BOOBIES!!!!

[Crasshopperrr]

I've also heard it speculated that Chinese development differed from Occidental because of politics. Besides the infamous burning of their 3-masted ships by the Eunuchs to oppose the Mandarin powers -- Europe was composed of small, fractured nation-states wherein one single Emperor had less power to keep things the way they were.

Mr Burke is presenting philosophy-as-cause as if that were undisputed, rather than just a theory.

[Kurtlane]

James Burke doesn't know much about China. And it shows.

[Rickyrab]

@Rickyrab Burke's error is understandable when you factor in that he was looking up English-language sources in the 1970s, when Chinese knowledge hadn't quite seeped into common English-language sources to the extent they have today, and when there was no Internet to speak of.

[Rickyrab]

Actually, Mr. Burke was wrong about the supposed early lack of Chinese gunpowder artillery. The Song Dynasty (that's between the years 960 and 1279, by the way) had "fire-lances" made out of hollowed out bamboo, and then they took to propelling arrows with gunpowder and, eventually, early cannons. But China got stuck in a rut in later centuries.

[oker59]

@masterbayshun0

yea, they're not that great! Most tits aren't! How is there a god when 95% of the woman are not that hot and their tits are never that great?

[KhalidCabrero]

"inaudible" = "Cividale" (in Friuli, NE Italy)

[unchiekun]

I learned more from JB than I did in the 6 years i spent in higher ed. I love all of his shows!!

[qthelost]

I think James Burke's Saturday Night Fever suit is actually a subtle message he's trying to get across. I think he's saying that you can ponder the intricate connections that make up existance AND shake your booty at the same time.

[Nueroactive]

Yuan Lee Molecular Beam Shen. Human designs were constantly being used in human formations. Film "Mom's Outta Sight". So much for denying the acts of Chinese making of Manchurian Candidates. Just for the record........who makes School shooters using human design programs?