These things are always local, there where social behaviour is rewarded with riches, and ignorance and corruption staved by judicial enforcement and education.

Not only in the 1500s, but also in the roman empire, the greek civilisation, the ancient arabian, egyptian, chinese, japanese, indian empires you can find evidence of civilisations that practised science, had fair laws and promoted kindness to one another.

That the Europeans receded into blunt stupidity for 1500 years does not mean that we were the first or the last to come out of it again.

edit: I also would like to point out that also after the 1500s European history is quite bloody and brutal.