Fred Foldvary wrote:
>
> On Fri, 16 Feb 2001, Bryan D Caplan wrote:
>
> > Circle the globe. The only civilization I can see that ever emerged
> > around the equator was the Inca. And their effective climate was not
> > equatorial due to high elevation, as far as I understand.
>
> Most of the equator crosses water, but if you expand the area to the
> tropics, there were civilizations in India, Cambodia, Bali, Central
> America, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere, with remains in stone today.
India is clearly an important counter-example. The others are at least
semi-plausible. But I still suspect that the correlation will hold up
over time.
> What is the source for the statement that the Aztecs had a lower standard
> of living than the Spanish?
Jared Diamond is the most recent thing I've read along these lines, but
to be fair he focuses more on technological advancement (where the
Spaniards were way ahead) than standard of living as such. Beyond that
I'd have to say it's the impression I took away from several world
histories I've read over the years. Have I neglected some major body of
evidence here?
--
Prof. Bryan Caplan
Department of Economics George Mason University
http://www.bcaplan.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"A man should be sincere, and nobly shrink
From saying anything he does not think."
-- Moliere, _The Misanthrope_
