The other obstacles to printing could theoretically be overcome. Merchants and missionaries would have transferred western printing technologies across the globe given enough time. Character sets poses a far more fundamental problem; it may be the deciding factor why other complex civilizations was so slow to adopt printing and industrialization.
Japan is one of the few successful examples of historical societies catching up to the west in technology. It too failed to adopt the printing press for a long time; a fact that was accompanied by stagnation. Japan’s adoption of advanced printing technologies more suitable to oriental characters coincided with its meteoric economic rise during the Meiji restoration.
Even after they became practical, most cultures had limited interest in them.
Most regions of the world at the time were not sufficiently advanced to take full advantage of the education opportunities provided by printing.
The printing press factor doesn’t address why some regions of the world developed complex civilizations while other regions didn’t. But it could perhaps explain why one specific civilization (Europe) advanced so much faster after the advent of printing, while other complex civilizations (who were arguably ahead of Europe at the time) stagnated.
The other obstacles to printing could theoretically be overcome. Merchants and missionaries would have transferred western printing technologies across the globe given enough time. Character sets poses a far more fundamental problem; it may be the deciding factor why other complex civilizations was so slow to adopt printing and industrialization.
Japan is one of the few successful examples of historical societies catching up to the west in technology. It too failed to adopt the printing press for a long time; a fact that was accompanied by stagnation. Japan’s adoption of advanced printing technologies more suitable to oriental characters coincided with its meteoric economic rise during the Meiji restoration.
Most regions of the world at the time were not sufficiently advanced to take full advantage of the education opportunities provided by printing.
The printing press factor doesn’t address why some regions of the world developed complex civilizations while other regions didn’t. But it could perhaps explain why one specific civilization (Europe) advanced so much faster after the advent of printing, while other complex civilizations (who were arguably ahead of Europe at the time) stagnated.