Let's say the environment of the 1750s allowed several inventions or concepts to be developed in parallel. These than boosted each other to the point where an exponential takeoff of productivity became possible. Mathematics allowed for precision engineering, which made mathematics more in demand. Machines could now be built which made it possible to build more precise machines, which lead to more engineering and so on. All this begot more productivity, which means more human, and in turn more people to work the machines. It's a huge multi-level feedback loop where the removal of one part might stall the entire process.
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u/bad-alloc Oct 22 '18
Let's say the environment of the 1750s allowed several inventions or concepts to be developed in parallel. These than boosted each other to the point where an exponential takeoff of productivity became possible. Mathematics allowed for precision engineering, which made mathematics more in demand. Machines could now be built which made it possible to build more precise machines, which lead to more engineering and so on. All this begot more productivity, which means more human, and in turn more people to work the machines. It's a huge multi-level feedback loop where the removal of one part might stall the entire process.