A lot of countries develop by copying. I mean, there was a point when Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. were “copying” and often making inferior products. But they eventually became innovative in their own right. China is already innovating in some spaces.
Actually, America even did that during the Industrial Revolution. Francis Cabot Lowell tried to obtain the designs for a power loom on a visit to England. He couldn’t get the designs so he memorized how one worked. The English even searched his bags when he was leaving to make sure he didn’t steal the designs. But they couldn’t search his noggin and that’s how America got a textile industry.
Good point. But the switch from copying to innovation takes a long time. The US was basically an agrarian society until 1900, 100 years after Francis Cabot Lowell. London and Paris were centers of invention and culture.
NYC and Boston were backwaters of ignorance and people in funny animal skin hats, Chicago was just an animal skin trading post, and San Francisco was a flea infested tent village with expensive rent.
A lot of countries develop by copying. I mean, there was a point when Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. were “copying” and often making inferior products. But they eventually became innovative in their own right. China is already innovating in some spaces.
Actually, America even did that during the Industrial Revolution. Francis Cabot Lowell tried to obtain the designs for a power loom on a visit to England. He couldn’t get the designs so he memorized how one worked. The English even searched his bags when he was leaving to make sure he didn’t steal the designs. But they couldn’t search his noggin and that’s how America got a textile industry.
Good point. But the switch from copying to innovation takes a long time. The US was basically an agrarian society until 1900, 100 years after Francis Cabot Lowell. London and Paris were centers of invention and culture.
NYC and Boston were backwaters of ignorance and people in funny animal skin hats, Chicago was just an animal skin trading post, and San Francisco was a flea infested tent village with expensive rent.