Colonial possessions added to the prestige, and to a much lesser degree to the wealth, of Europe. But the primary cause of Western affluence and power is internal – the institutions of science, democracy, and capitalism acting in concert.

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Colonial possessions added to the prestige, and to a much lesser degree to the wealth, of Europe. But the primary cause of Western affluence and power is internal – the institutions of science, democracy, and capitalism acting in concert." in the context of "(2002-07-07), "Two cheers for colonialism", SFGate" to mean that wisdom is timeless.