Isn’t the point though that they didn’t invent those things though and thus to even discuss the alternate reality is historical revisionism because there are far too many variables to even consider.

Someone was going to invent the gun and the sextant sooner or later. They are both very, very simple things to invent. The question is who.

An interesting argument may be made that the enlightenment fostered the appropriate environment in which those things could be developed. And another interesting argument could be made that the enlightenment was fueled by the rebound from the black plague. But I’m not sure I’m qualified to vigorously defend either of those arguments.

You might get a kick out of reading through the entire chain between EC and I. I felt it was good.