whydidsciencenotflourishinindiathewayitdidineuropefromthesixteenthcenturyonwards?

Question

why did science not flourish in india the way it did in europe from the sixteenth century onwards?include in the answer the features of indian society that inhibited the development of science and those of europeanssociety that encouraged it.

Answer 1

Technological progress also requires a favorable social milieu. A foundation of scientific knowledge, rational thinking and practical experimentation can be essential to the process of making technological discoveries (although the application of already known technologies can occur more easily). In India numerous technological inventions occurred in parallel with developments in rational philosophy and advances in mathematics and natural sciences.

This is not to say that Indian society was entirely rational. In all ancient societies (and even modern ones), superstitions, religious beliefs, reliance on astrology, numerology or the advice of 'seers', palmists and fortune-tellers have impinged on the scientific process and consequently hindered the progress of technology. In the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Babylon and India - we see numerous instances of scientifically accurate statements and practical truths mixed up with religious myths and popular superstitions. This was especially true in the science of medicine. Genuine cures were listed with unscientific practices without clear distinction. But during the rational period in India the emphasis on the scientific method led to a much greater level of veracity with respect to the efficacy of different medicines and medical procedures.

One of the limitations of Indian manufacturing prior to the industrial revolution was that although Indian artisans could produce goods of exceptional quality, much of Indian manufacturing (as was the case in much of the world) was highly labor intensive. Although Indian artisans used a variety of tools and implements in facilitating their manufactures, there was insufficient investment in augmenting and expanding the range of available labor-saving tools.

Yet, more than in any other nation, manufacturing in medieval India involved considerable specialization of labor. India had a very large pool of relatively cheap skilled labor trained in a variety of specialized tasks and manufacturing processes were optimized to take full advantage of these highly trained hands. Since most manufactured goods catered largely to the elite, demand was relatively limited and the available labor pool was more than sufficient to meet those needs. Hence, complacency ruled the day. India's great manufacturing strengths thus became a significant obstacle in transitioning towards the modern industrial era.

There were other powerful forces at work that inhibited the growth of science and technology in India and prevented Indian manufacturing from entering the industrial era on it's own terms.

Perhaps the most important of these factors was the relative prosperity that India enjoyed vis-a-vis the rest of the world. A mild climate meant that the peasantry and working class could survive relatively cheaply. And the huge trade surplus the country enjoyed enabled the nobility and the middle classes to live lives of relative luxury and comfort. There was little incentive to bring about revolutionary changes and the forces of parasitism and conservatism prevailed quite easily over more radical forces. Harry Verelst (Senior Officer of the East India Company) described Bengal before Plassey quite succintly: "The farmer was easy, the artisan encouraged, the merchant enriched and the prince satisfied".

But in Europe, virtually all classes had an interest in bringing about revolutionary changes that could improve their lives. Long and harsh winters meant that even the peasantry and working class needed more items of personal consumption just to survive, let alone live comfortably. The demand for cheap manufactured goods for mass consumption was initially far greater in Europe than in the warmer parts of the globe. The short days in the long and harsh winters created a much more compelling need for breakthrough inventions like the light bulb or electric heater or piped hot water and indoor toilets.

Answer 2

It's not that science didn't develop in india earlier days. the fact is that indian's are better than others in all aspects whether in maths or astronomy or science.its just they wrote in books or taalepatras.thye didn't make it public.
for eg: the phythogoras theorem(known to be) was originated from indian during 5 A.D.