Another result of his analysis was that most innovation has been accomplished by men, not women, and Europeans, not other ethnic and cultural groups.

The book argued that streams of accomplishment are fostered by political regimes that give de facto freedom of action to their potential artists and scholars.

This coincided with the emancipation of Jews who earlier had been denied legal rights and access to universities and public office.

Murray argued that the world's per capita progress in the Sciences and especially the Arts have declined, usually starting sometimes in the nineteenth century.

The American Library Association: Murray says, "Achievements that require mental and spiritual effort are the highest forms of human endeavor".

He has scanned the most reputable biographical dictionaries and histories of the Arts, Philosophy, and Sciences to find who and what, during 800 B.C.-1950, are mentioned in them.

He came up with 4,139 people and a list of events and ponders 20 persons in each of nine scientific, three philosophic, and nine artistic fields who were most extensively covered in the resources.

Further, the scientific method was a set of Western "meta-inventions" (Murray's term) that arose, fortunately, simultaneously with the ratification of Thomism, with its dual emphasis on Faith and Reason, by the most important Cultural force in the West, the Roman Catholic Church of overarching importance to great achievements in any culture.