The Historian Who Thinks Culture Made Capitalism

Quick Overview

Historian Anton Howes argues that the preconditions for sustained economic growth, particularly technological progress, were established through a specific alliance between scientists and tinkerers/engineers, contrasting with the Eurocentric narrative that solely credits the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

Key Points: The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences was shared by Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their work on sustained growth through technological progress and creative destruction. Anton Howes, a historian of innovation, argues that the necessary prerequisites for sustained growth were established through a productive alliance between those with theoretical knowledge (scientists/heads) and practical application (tinkerers/hands). Howes suggests that the English Industrial Revolution's success was not solely due to Enlightenment rationalism but also this collaboration, noting that places like China and India had similar levels of inventiveness earlier on. The reliance on cheap inputs like slave labor and easily accessible coal deposits in Britain is cited as a factor that made the early phase of industrialization appear more successful than it might have been otherwise. Howes points out that economic historians often debate the role of factors like the slave trade versus pure innovation in driving early British industrial growth. He contrasts this with other historical examples, like Renaissance Italy or the Dutch Republic, where the alliance between theoretical and practical knowledge was less pronounced or differently structured.

Context: The video features an interview between Michael Walker and Anton Howes, a historian of innovation, discussing the historical prerequisites for sustained economic growth, particularly in the context of the Industrial Revolution. The discussion is framed by the awarding of the 2025 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their work on innovation and growth, giving Howes an opportunity to present his alternative historical perspective.