The Great What If

What if? That is a question that plagues us all at one point. When you apply it to matters of your life with which you are intimate with it will drive you nuts. But, sometimes it is fun to ponder the great question. With history for example.

What if the Native American's had been able to cross the Atlantic for example. What if their civilizations had been able to flourish. The Aztecs, Incas, and other tribes in Northern America had vast social networks, developed stunning buildins, and were advanced in mathematics and astronomy. In fact, the Aztecs were the first to develop a 365 day calendar. The city of Cahokia was a feat of a city when it was at its prime while Paris and London were villages. What if these cities had been able to advance.

Jarod Diamond has a book out. While I have not had the privilage to read this book, the title says it all: Guns, Germs, and Steel. This is the reason that the West was able to dominate the world. They had the steel which gave them guns which gave them firepower. Meanwhile their germs decimated the native populations which had no antibodies to fight off the bacteria. But, what if the natives had been able to develop steel and use the firepower of guns? Or, what if they had developed the ships which could have taken them great distances. Could they potentially have conquered Europe?

On that token what if the Chinese had travelled more. They had the ability to travel great distances on ships. In fact, some historians argue that they landed in the new world on the pacific coast before Columbus landed on the Atlantic Coast. But, they chose to stay closer to their home shores.

What if the Muslims had never taken over Constantinople? They cut off the land trading routes that the Christan Europeans used to get to the Indies where they would get a lot of spices and silk. Therfore some of those Europeans went looking for sea routes. That is what Columbus was looking for when he stumbled upon America.

The possibilities are endless. But, it is still fun to think about what could have been.