European Exploration?

[LoliTastic]

What do you think the world would be like, if the Europeans never explored the Americas and left the Nativa Americans to be?

I really have no idea, but it would be interesting to see what it'd be like

[Jon-86]

The Spanish or French would have colonised the place.

[Redshift]

Then the native Americans would thrive and rule the world.

[Dogbert581]

At 9/2/10 05:10 AM, Jon-86 wrote: The Spanish or French would have colonised the place.

Yes, the non-european French and Spanish....

America as we know it today (as a whole country) definitly wouldn't exist as there would have been no union between the native tribes.

Furthermore, in the 14th and 15th Centuries, the Aztec Empire was the dominant superpower in Central America, and as Ross Hassig points out, without the intervention of the Spanish the Aztecs could easily have expanded their territory into North America

[Rory]

To be honest, I think It would have been colonised by a more civilosed country sooner or later, due to the enormous mass of naturla wealth, such as gold, and the sheer maount of landmass, not only that, but the natives would not have posed much of a threat to the quickly advancing world.

[Ericho]

I always wondered why the Native Americans never went out and explored like the Europeans did. I doubt that they ever would, but it is hard to believe that with all of today's advancements in technology, NOBODY from any Eastern country would have wanted to find out what was in that part of the world. There were also the Vikings who went to America before, so we would have found evidence of them leaving and thus would have gone there eventually.

[Camarohusky]

At 9/2/10 10:29 AM, Ericho wrote: I always wondered why the Native Americans never went out and explored like the Europeans did.

Multiple reasons. The first is the critical mass of population required. Before things such as science, luxury, exploration and alike can truly be embraced, a critical mass of people needed to be able to run domestic society's basics with enough left over to pursue these luxuries. It is extremely difficult, if possible at all for hunter gatherers to reach this critical mass of population, due to the scarcity of food, the effort needed to get the food and the effort needed to keep society mobile. Furthermore a critical mass of people leads to competition between groups. This competition, whether through war, economy, or prestige has driven a great deal of our progress.

Second, the culture of many tribes does ot seem conducive to internal science. Cultures of the big continents have always stressed a search for more. Whether it be a higher purpose, a better life, a better weapon, or a better item to sell, these societies have for the most part defined themselves by progress and the future. Native society is quite different. They are very much defined by tradition and the now. There does not seem to be the inherent drive and unhappines/discontent that drove societies in Africa, Asia, and Europe to strive for science. Perhaps this just goes hand in hand with the above reason, and would a tribe have reached the critical mass it may have started to reach toward the future.

[poxpower]

All of America would be as shitty as Mexico
Woohoo!

[Rory]

At 9/2/10 12:47 PM, poxpower wrote: All of America would be as shitty as Mexico
Woohoo!

I'd love to se some mexicans cross the border in order to get a better life, then immediately turn straigt back around. Quite the vivid world you paint, pox.

[lapis]

At 9/2/10 12:28 PM, Camarohusky wrote:

At 9/2/10 10:29 AM, Ericho wrote: I always wondered why the Native Americans never went out and explored like the Europeans did.

Multiple reasons. The first is the critical mass of population required.

I think his usage of the term "Native Americans" was meant to include the Aztecs, Mayas and Incas.

Second, the culture of many tribes does ot seem conducive to internal science.

I think it were the Mayas who at the very least had a very good grasp of astronomy, and they had even invented a script. Granted, they hadn't invented the wheel or metal working but they sure had some drive to to build cool structures and develop a bureaucracy.

[SolInvictus]

At 9/2/10 07:57 AM, Dogbert581 wrote: America as we know it today (as a whole country) definitly wouldn't exist as there would have been no union between the native tribes.

Furthermore, in the 14th and 15th Centuries, the Aztec Empire was the dominant superpower in Central America, and as Ross Hassig points out, without the intervention of the Spanish the Aztecs could easily have expanded their territory into North America

the idea of an Aztec empire in North America kind of conflicts with the perpetual non-existance of Native unity.

without populations devastated by disease, who knows how it would have turned out.

[Jon-86]

At 9/2/10 07:57 AM, Dogbert581 wrote:

At 9/2/10 05:10 AM, Jon-86 wrote: The Spanish or French would have colonised the place.

Yes, the non-european French and Spanish....

America as we know it today (as a whole country) definitly wouldn't exist as there would have been no union between the native tribes.

Europe didn't exist back then! It was still all about empires and kingdoms. But someone would have gotten their eventually as empires grew. The only reason america exists as it dose now is that it managed to break away from the British empire with the help of France and its allies.

Although probably a more interesting question would be. What would the world be like if America was managed properly giving no reason to ever have a revolution and america was still a British colony!