Italy valued cathedrals while Spain valued explorers. So worldwide, five times as many people speak Spanish than Italian
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@neiltyson@brutusway (1) Italy didn't exist; (2) Venice and Geneva were incumbents & had no incentive to dismantle their own trade empire.. -
@carribeiro@neiltyson@brutusway correct me if I'm wrong, but Italy didn't exist until the mid 1800's.
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@neiltyson@brutusway Italy didn't exist. And Italian cities had been doing exploration for years and had elaborate trade networks.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@neiltyson@brutusway Not "explorers": conquistadors, exploiters, colonizers. Venice and Rome already had rich trade; Spain needed wealth. -
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@neiltyson@brutusway & you seem to ignore Rome's history of conquest, plunder & cultural insertion. BITD far more spoke Latin than Spanish
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@neiltyson Beyond all of that, Spain was more fanatically religious than most of the Italian cities, duchies, and kingdoms.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@brutusway@neiltyson Condescension does not advance an argument, or make things better for either party. -
@brutusway The essential point is that those nations who believe in exploration shape the future. -
@lwonnell the essential point here is ignorance: Venezia, Genova, not even mentioning Roman Empire.What are we talking about? -
@brutusway We are talking about investments in exploration. The Medicis did not prioritize that. -
@lwonnell seriously? I mean, the Medicis "invented" the archetype of Silicon Valley, putting the smartest guys of that time working together -
@brutusway I mean exploration of new lands. They valued knowledge, but that value isn't enough to leave a lasting mark on the world. -
@lwonnell The Spanish and Portuguese were not trying to explore new lands. They were looking to get to India w/out using *Italian* routes. - 3 more replies
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@neiltyson@brutusway the Iberians were motivated by wealth though, not exploration. They were looking for better trade routes on their sideThanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@neiltyson@brutusway This is why you've said, less countries speak Italian today other than Italy. They weren't exploring like others were.Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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@neiltyson Columbus' first exped. was financed in half by Italians. Only a large nation-state could undertake that (Italy was fragmented).Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
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