"In Eastern civilizations, mathematics was a tool of imperial administration in societies such as China, or the academic preserve of a priestly elite, as in the Indian Subcontinent. While the Kerala School had advanced to within striking distance of the fundamental theorem of calculus, mathematics, and even astronomy, were not usually coupled with direct empirical observations of the natural world. Hence these mathematical endeavors suffered similar limitations to the investigations of the ancient Greeks. While the elite of the East were training in cram schools for the purpose of rising within a rigid hierarchy, noblemen and mechanics across the West developed the great pursuits as natural extensions of other activities. In the Faustian Age of the West, mathematics became not only a tool of a priestly elite, but also a tool used by tradesmen to further their enterprises, and to bend the physical world to the will of man. It is this close connection of theory and practice which allowed the West to dominate the world."

https://open.substack.com/pub/swiftenterprises/p/the-great-pursuits?r=lp6h7&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false

President Zelenskyy answered media questions after meeting with President Trump. Key points:

• Trump realized Putin gave him false information about the battlefield and now trusts Zelenskyy more.
• Putin will look for weaknesses in Europe and NATO, using various long-range drones to test readiness.
• On Slovakia and Hungary buying Russian gas and oil: “Slovakia is ready to seek alternatives, but Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán is not. That’s a mistake.”
• China shows no desire to end the war; motives are unclear, whether economic or historical.
• Trump will provide Ukraine with security guarantees after the war ends.