Civilization: The West and the Rest
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- Author：Niall Ferguson
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Summary
Winner of the Estoril Global Issues Distinguished Book Prize 2013
In 1412， Europe was a miserable backwater ravaged by plague， bad sanitation and incessant war， while the Orient was home to dazzling civilizations。 Yet， somehow， the West came to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium。
In this vital， brilliant book， Niall Ferguson reveals the six 'killer applications' that the Rest lacked: competition， science， property rights， medicine， consumerism and the work ethic。 And he asks: do we still have these winning tools？ Or is this the end of Western ascendancy？
'Brilliantly written， full of wit and virtuosity， stuffed with memorable lines and gorgeous bits of information。 A great read' The Times
'A dazzling history of Western ideas 。。。 epic' Economist
'Vivid and fascinating' Daily Telegraph
'Superb 。。。 brings history alive 。。。 dazzling' Independent
'This is sharp。 It feels urgent。 Ferguson 。。。 twists his knife with great literary brio' Andrew Marr， Financial Times
In 1412， Europe was a miserable backwater ravaged by plague， bad sanitation and incessant war， while the Orient was home to dazzling civilizations。 Yet， somehow， the West came to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium。
In this vital， brilliant book， Niall Ferguson reveals the six 'killer applications' that the Rest lacked: competition， science， property rights， medicine， consumerism and the work ethic。 And he asks: do we still have these winning tools？ Or is this the end of Western ascendancy？
'Brilliantly written， full of wit and virtuosity， stuffed with memorable lines and gorgeous bits of information。 A great read' The Times
'A dazzling history of Western ideas 。。。 epic' Economist
'Vivid and fascinating' Daily Telegraph
'Superb 。。。 brings history alive 。。。 dazzling' Independent
'This is sharp。 It feels urgent。 Ferguson 。。。 twists his knife with great literary brio' Andrew Marr， Financial Times
Reviews
Ivan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Não somos Ocidente por que não somos civilizados o bastante， na visão demonstrada no livro， porque não tivemos uma origem baseada no progresso organizado， e nunca tivemos a oportunidade e nunca vamos ter de ser， por que "eles" não desejam que algumas nações sejam "Ocidentais"。Não gostei e não concordo com várias partes desse livro， como falar que o Ateismo moderno é uma das causas do declínio econômico e filosófico Europeu。 Mas a obra é muito completa e me tirou a dúvida sobre as nossas origens Não somos Ocidente por que não somos civilizados o bastante， na visão demonstrada no livro， porque não tivemos uma origem baseada no progresso organizado， e nunca tivemos a oportunidade e nunca vamos ter de ser， por que "eles" não desejam que algumas nações sejam "Ocidentais"。Não gostei e não concordo com várias partes desse livro， como falar que o Ateismo moderno é uma das causas do declínio econômico e filosófico Europeu。 Mas a obra é muito completa e me tirou a dúvida sobre as nossas origens como continente e como nação latina， nossa origem foi no caos， foi o injusta， foi terrível。 Só temos um caminho a seguir para manter a maior ordem possível， e esse caminho não pode nem deve ser o mesmo do Norte e o da Europa Ocidental， nosso caminho não está na direita， por que nossa origem não estava lá。 。。。more
Vincent Maillard
，
Mr。 Ferguson's book comes out as a deeply disappointing read in more ways than one。 Its rambling form， lack of consideration for existing academic research， and the bewildering trope of "us vs。。 them" comments do not manage to distract from the fact that the six reasons he outlines for the "domination of the West over the Rest" are either contradicting each other， overlapping， or overlook more complex underlying themes。It is not too surprising that Mr。 Ferguson， who views imperialism as an overa Mr。 Ferguson's book comes out as a deeply disappointing read in more ways than one。 Its rambling form， lack of consideration for existing academic research， and the bewildering trope of "us vs。。 them" comments do not manage to distract from the fact that the six reasons he outlines for the "domination of the West over the Rest" are either contradicting each other， overlapping， or overlook more complex underlying themes。It is not too surprising that Mr。 Ferguson， who views imperialism as an overall net positive， would revel in a myriad perceived causes of the West's superiority。 Still， the dividing language he uses - Resteners， Islamic terrorism， we as opposed to them - does not lend credence to his arguments。Moreover， the dizzying amount of information he manages to throw at the reader may well prove how erudite he is， it does not however help drive his arguments。 Was it really necessary to know that the editor of Le Gazetier Cuirassé was a man called Charles Théveneau de Morande？ Did the chapter on Medicine need to expand on the French revolution and the first world war to make the point that extending life expectancy is beneficial？In their book "Why Nations Fail" Daron Acemoglu and James A。 Robinson introduce their readers to different currents of thought surrounding the tricky question of why certain nations prosper when others don't。 Ignorance of the ruling class， cultural or geographical disadvantage are all discarded for a more complex and yet more intuitive theory of political economy。 In contrast， Mr。 Ferguson seems immune to self-doubt when he presents his six truths， needlessly casting away a vast body of academical research。Science and medicine， as inextricably linked as they are， are hailed as two of the forces driving the West's rise。 There have been more controversial statements。 Little is said though on the role of political， state， and religious institutions in that achievement。 Instead， we are treated with a list of twenty-nine scientific breakthroughs closely followed by a detailed account of the life of Frederick the Great。 Moreover， outlining the Western culture of hard work as one of the killer apps is verging on the edge of insult。 One would be hard-pressed to believe that the rest of the world would not strive for its own betterment。 Whilst competition is undeniably a driver of innovation， little thought is given to the environment that makes it thrive。 Additionally， the symbiotic relationship between capitalism and consumerism flies in the face of the ethic of protestant thrift。With few exceptions， these six oversimplified killer apps are more symptom than cause。 As exemplified by Mr。 Ferguson's poor choice of words， this leads one to believe they can be downloaded at will: the Restners are just a mere click away from enlightenment。 Nowhere is it clearer than when Mr。 Ferguson ignores the extractive remnants of imperialism and suggests that "it is becoming less and less easy to blame the contemporary plight of the ‘bottom billion’ [。。。] on the colonialism of the past"。 I disagree。 。。。more
Bruno Pascon
，
First book that I read from the author and I plan to read all his work。 It is a concise historical reflection about the rising of the western world civilization overcoming the eastern since the XVI century and the main institutional reasons why。 The book also tries to answer the question on whether this supremacy will come to an end and the possible reasons for such scenario。 It was interesting to read the book in 2021 since it was written in 2010 to acknowledge how many of the array of possible First book that I read from the author and I plan to read all his work。 It is a concise historical reflection about the rising of the western world civilization overcoming the eastern since the XVI century and the main institutional reasons why。 The book also tries to answer the question on whether this supremacy will come to an end and the possible reasons for such scenario。 It was interesting to read the book in 2021 since it was written in 2010 to acknowledge how many of the array of possible scenarios already played out and which haven’t and try to gauge what is next。 I would recommend reading this together with On China （Kissinger） and Destined to War （Allison） to have a complete view。 The book is biased towards the author’s born country / west but he tries to be impartial as much as he can throughout the book。 Well written and well translated to Portuguese。 。。。more
Avnish Anand
，
This book tries to explain how the West rose to dominate and conquer the rest of the world。 After being far behind the great civilisations of China， India and the Ottoman。 It also makes an attempt to understand if this period of dominance is coming to an end。 Niall Ferguson identifies 6 drivers for this dominance Competition Science Democracy and property rights Medicine Consumer society Work Ethic He then goes on to explain each of these in great detail。 The strength of this book is that it has This book tries to explain how the West rose to dominate and conquer the rest of the world。 After being far behind the great civilisations of China， India and the Ottoman。 It also makes an attempt to understand if this period of dominance is coming to an end。 Niall Ferguson identifies 6 drivers for this dominance Competition Science Democracy and property rights Medicine Consumer society Work Ethic He then goes on to explain each of these in great detail。 The strength of this book is that it has a lot of information。 I have been interested in this subject and have done some reading already。 But I am not an advanced reader。 And as a result I found a lot of new information in this book。 Which explained a lot of things。 Also raised new questions。 The biggest problem with this book is that it suffers from a classic case of - “History being written by the victors”。 Ferguson is an Englishman and this book often ends up as a thinly veiled attempt at glorifying the greatness of Britain and justifying all evil deeds of the Empire。 This is most palpable in the chapter on medicine。 Where the author comes up with the argument that the Europeans were sincerely interested in eradicating disease in Africa。 And their imperialistic pursuits were justified because life expectancy increased in Africa and many diseases were controlled。 It justifies the pillage and plunder and genocide。 He claims that British atrocities were not too bad because the Germans and Portuguese were more brutal。 However there isn’t a single mention of the likes of Cecil Rhodes。 How can you present a balanced argument like that ？ Clearly the author has great knowledge but doesn’t make good arguments。 Many of his inferences suffer from weak logic and are a little too far fetched。 Like the argument about Iran challenging the West on science and innovation because it hosts two important science festivals。 I still give it 3 stars because I learned a few things。 You just have to be careful about sifting factual information from the the imaginative arguments that the author makes。 。。。more
Karen Morenz Korol
，
Vaguely interesting historical observations of the relative technological superiority in the Middle Ages of non-European nations followed by the quick rise of Europe， but I don't buy his explanation。 Seems a bit overwrought。 Vaguely interesting historical observations of the relative technological superiority in the Middle Ages of non-European nations followed by the quick rise of Europe， but I don't buy his explanation。 Seems a bit overwrought。 。。。more
〰️Beth〰️
，
Skewed in many ways。 Informative but yet restricted by his hypothesis。
Oleksander Lysenko
，
Цікава книжка - чудовий спосіб систематизувати історію розвитку християнської цивілізації。
Mobarak Al-Harthi
，
هنالك كتب تحزن عند الانتهاء من قراءتها لجمالها، يصعب بعدها البدء في قراءة كتاب اخر لعلو سقف المنافسة وهذا الكتاب أعده واحداً منها
Mark Livin
，
Перше читання Фергюсона викликало захват， щось схоже було з Харарі。Обох критикуть в академічній спільноті за вільнодумство та зручне підлаштування історії під те， що «продається»。Вдруге читав Фергюсона， краще підготовлений， після Даймонда， Джадда， Фукуями， Ріса тощо。Не шкодую про повторне читання， але захват від книги змінився на обережність – чи можна довіряти цьому автору？Раджу читати книги в міксі інших видань， які дають так звану «коротку» версію цивілізації， особливо у відрізку 18-20 століт Перше читання Фергюсона викликало захват， щось схоже було з Харарі。Обох критикуть в академічній спільноті за вільнодумство та зручне підлаштування історії під те， що «продається»。Вдруге читав Фергюсона， краще підготовлений， після Даймонда， Джадда， Фукуями， Ріса тощо。Не шкодую про повторне читання， але захват від книги змінився на обережність – чи можна довіряти цьому автору？Раджу читати книги в міксі інших видань， які дають так звану «коротку» версію цивілізації， особливо у відрізку 18-20 століття。 。。。more
Alejandro Sanoja
，
This is the BEST book I read in February 2021。 It will help you understand why the world is how it is nowadays。 It will give you tools and insights to better understand why is it that the West is leading the Rest。If you， like me， have recently decided to learn more about history， this is a great place to start。 Flow: 5/5Actionability: 4/5Mindset: 5/5Some of My Highlights:"Just why， beginning around 1500， did a few small polities on the western end of the Eurasian landmass come to dominate the re This is the BEST book I read in February 2021。 It will help you understand why the world is how it is nowadays。 It will give you tools and insights to better understand why is it that the West is leading the Rest。If you， like me， have recently decided to learn more about history， this is a great place to start。 Flow: 5/5Actionability: 4/5Mindset: 5/5Some of My Highlights:"Just why， beginning around 1500， did a few small polities on the western end of the Eurasian landmass come to dominate the rest of the world， including the more populous and in many ways more sophisticated societies of Eastern Eurasia？""In The History Bous， the playwright Alan Bennett posed a 'trilemma: should history be taught as a mode of contrarian argumentation， a communion with past Truth and Beauty， or just 'one fucking thing after another？""First， the current world population makes up approximately 7 percent of all the human beings who have ever lived。""In 1500 the future imperial powers of Europe accounted for about 5 percent of the world's land surface and at most 16 percent of its population。 By 1913， eveln Western empires controlled nearly three-fifths of all territory and population and close to three-quarters （a staggering 74 percent） of global economic output。""。。。the rise of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the second half of the second millennium after Christ。""。。。the West dominated the rest because of imperialism。""The key， it becomes ever more apparent， lies with institutions。""。。。Simón Bolívar's failure to create a United States of Latin America was not the gringo's fault。""The 'West'， then， is much more than just a geographical expression。 It is a set of norms， behaviors and institutions with borders that are blurred in the extreme。""Why did CHine founder while Europe forged ahead？ Smith's main answer was that the Chinese had failed to 'encourage foreign commerce'， and had therefore missed out on the benefits of comparative advantage and the international division of labor。""In Europe， on the contrary， strong nations are opposed to the strong; and those who join each other have nearly the same courage。""。。。Max Webber defined Confucian rationalism as meaning 'rational adjustment to the world'， as opposed to the Western concept of 'rational mastery of the world'。""Maritime exploration， in short， was fifteenth-century Europe's space race。 Or， rather， its spice race。""You might say it was a case of divide and rule - except that， paradoxically， it was by being divided themselves that Europeans were able to rule the world。""As Confucius himself said: 'A common man marvels at uncommon things。 A wise man marvels at the commonplace。'""If one thing came to differentiate the West from the East it was the widely differing degrees to which such new and profound knowledge was systematically pursued and applied。""On closer inspection， that superiority was itself based on improvements in the application of science to warfare and of rationality to government。""By the eighteenth century， its edge over the Orient was a matter as much of brainpower as of firepower。""Printing， too， was resisted in the Muslim world。""This failure to reconcile Islam with scientific progress was to prove disastrous。""In January 1580， barely five years after its completion， the Sultan ordered the demolition of Takiyüddin's observatory。 There would not be another observatory in Istanbul until 1868。""It is not accidental that three of the world's most important technological innovations - James Watt's improved steam engine （1764）， John Harrison's longitude-finding chronometer （1761）， and Richard Arkwright's water frame （1769） - were invented in the same country， in the same decade。" 。。。more
Brian
，
Very much a historical opinion of of the political right with very little Ballance。 Ferguson on Gandhi， China， or for that matter anyone not of the his precious western imperialist viewpoint， is no more that infantile behaviour。 Some valid points made but the selective quotes and over the top mantra of the right， make it a difficult read for any genuine student of history。 It is a view of history but not a balanced one。 It jumps all over the place in an attempt to justify the authors narrow view Very much a historical opinion of of the political right with very little Ballance。 Ferguson on Gandhi， China， or for that matter anyone not of the his precious western imperialist viewpoint， is no more that infantile behaviour。 Some valid points made but the selective quotes and over the top mantra of the right， make it a difficult read for any genuine student of history。 It is a view of history but not a balanced one。 It jumps all over the place in an attempt to justify the authors narrow viewpoint and is so laden with French， Spanish and Latin quotes， as to make it an uncomfortable read for anyone not familiar with these languages。 This I believe is a deliberate strategy， to talk down to his readers， to convey his perceived superior knowledge， so that the reader won't spot the knowledge gaps or many contradictory statements。 However， all it does is consolidate the readers frustration at his failure to use an understandable narrative。 Contrary to the very essence of a good history writer。 His attempt at a justification of slavery by stating that it was in existence in Africa prior to the west's invasion， is shameful but the claim made in reviews by others， that he is racist is unjustifiable。 It was a struggle to finish。 The tone， pompous narrative， and limpet like adherence to imperialist values， make the occasional valid perceptions stated， hard to separate from the vain-glorious sabre rattling of the modern right。 This is a rewrite of history to justify the views of the Johnson -Trump supportive right。 I prefer my history with a lot more ballance and less deliberate confusion， such as his weaving together of unconnected timelines to make a political justification of the authors narrow viewpoint。 The title is misleading。 A selective history for the political right， might have been an more honest one。 。。。more
Thuy Man
，
1。 He begins the book by a promise that he knows about storytelling， but he didn't fulfill that promise （at least to me）。 It's hard to follow his lines; he leads me around， makes me tired and ends with inconclusive conclusions。2。 If your historical knowledge is zero， I don't think you should read this book。 He gave a lot information/fact， and if you don't know about those information/fact then it's hard to understand the whole story。3。 The chapter titles are useless。 In the science chapter， he t 1。 He begins the book by a promise that he knows about storytelling， but he didn't fulfill that promise （at least to me）。 It's hard to follow his lines; he leads me around， makes me tired and ends with inconclusive conclusions。2。 If your historical knowledge is zero， I don't think you should read this book。 He gave a lot information/fact， and if you don't know about those information/fact then it's hard to understand the whole story。3。 The chapter titles are useless。 In the science chapter， he talks about war; in the private property chapter， he talks about war again; and in the medical chapter， he's still talking about war。 The whole book is about wars， most of it is about armed wars， some is about economic wars; so don't expect much for the chapter titles。 。。。more
Louis
，
An exploration of the 5 reasons the West has prevailed over the past 500 years。 A very interesting analysis and a different set of answers to a similar question addressed in Guns， Germs & Steel。
Otolith Library
，
Learn about how the Western Civilization won。 We at Otolith think that what got us here， won't keep us here。 Consumerism and competition should be replaced by collaboration。 Learn about how the Western Civilization won。 We at Otolith think that what got us here， won't keep us here。 Consumerism and competition should be replaced by collaboration。 。。。more
Sflahive
，
An interesting description of an historical saga， but ultimately backwards looking。 Backwards looking is not a fair criticism of a history book but I think this book pitches itself as having something to say about the future。 It doesn't really。Will the rest of the world just copy what has worked for the West and catch up - therfore dominating via demographics？ This book seems to suggest yes， but then in its last breath tries to claim， maybe not - without justification。It's hard to see where exac An interesting description of an historical saga， but ultimately backwards looking。 Backwards looking is not a fair criticism of a history book but I think this book pitches itself as having something to say about the future。 It doesn't really。Will the rest of the world just copy what has worked for the West and catch up - therfore dominating via demographics？ This book seems to suggest yes， but then in its last breath tries to claim， maybe not - without justification。It's hard to see where exactly the West has lost touch with the principles this book is dedicated to， with the possible exception of work ethic。 What then is there to be done about our relative stagnation？ This book doesn't attempt to answer this question。The blurb on the back of my copy ends with:"Do we still have the winning tools， he asks？ Or is another power about to triumph？"I'll cut the author some slack and assume the publisher wrote that， but it is false advertising nonetheless。Anyways， it's still a novel （to me） stroll through modern Western history。 3 stars。 。。。more
Gavin Long
，
Excellent read
Kamalika
，
This book written a decade ago， gives me a feeling of deja vu。 It is intriguing， thought provoking and presents a unique perspective of how civilization evolves and ebbs。 Leaves one with the imminent question of where our civilization is headed to。
Vijay Marolia
，
One of the most important books in terms of understanding the world’s changing power dynamics。
Laura
，
Very thought-provoking， but also fundamentally flawed
Alimanzoor
，
Pitching with an ambiguous title， the book focuses on the Western civilization and its accomplishment of institutional developments。 Niall Ferguson starkly confronts with enormous statistics and data to prove his research on history。The author presents “six killer apps” that contributed to the development of the West nations。 The first example of the killer apps is the development of rational-scientific thinking， that unlocked technological advancements and improved military hardware。 Another ex Pitching with an ambiguous title， the book focuses on the Western civilization and its accomplishment of institutional developments。 Niall Ferguson starkly confronts with enormous statistics and data to prove his research on history。The author presents “six killer apps” that contributed to the development of the West nations。 The first example of the killer apps is the development of rational-scientific thinking， that unlocked technological advancements and improved military hardware。 Another example is the spirit of competition， which grew from the constant wars and battles between European nations， and later formed a platform for the development of free market capitalism。 The remaining apps such as property rights， medicine， work ethic and the consumer society that all placed similar deep and powerful effects in the development of the West。The author later highlights that the westerners seem to have forgotten some of their own killer applications。 The work ethic that sustained so much economic success has mostly disappeared in the West。 The rise of the rest of the world has been largely the result of them downloading the Western killer applications。 The first nation to appreciate the need to westernize for their growth was Japan。 In the late nineteenth century， Japanese leaders attempted to completely transform their society， culture and institutions based on Western models so much so that they out did in some aspects。Adding nothing much to the knowledge base， it is a firework of published data with some personal opinions packed with。 。。。more
Terry Burgess
，
In line with other books in the genre （Why Nations Fail， Guns Germs and Steel， etc）。 Thought provoking and worth the read。
Melinda
，
Listened to this as an audiobook and quite enjoyed the experience。 As usual for this author there are lots of threads that are picked and pulled before they are all rolled up into a cohesive whole。 I like that he created the list of “killer apps” to try and groupUp all the ideas。 Not sure whether he had all the right ideas in this book， but it was an interesting read and certainly made me think。
Gaspar Olea
，
Eh， just read Adam Smith
Pedro
，
In this book Ferguson poses the question: Why did the civilization of Western Eurasia surpass all others in power， prosperity， and technological innovation in recent centuries？ He then proceeds to explain the six "Killer Applications" which allowed European civilization to dominate the globe， using a collection of anecdotes spanning the past half millennium。This is a good question， and I mostly agree with Ferguson's analysis。 However he fails to make a unified or even a particularly novel argume In this book Ferguson poses the question: Why did the civilization of Western Eurasia surpass all others in power， prosperity， and technological innovation in recent centuries？ He then proceeds to explain the six "Killer Applications" which allowed European civilization to dominate the globe， using a collection of anecdotes spanning the past half millennium。This is a good question， and I mostly agree with Ferguson's analysis。 However he fails to make a unified or even a particularly novel argument。 Coming in without knowing anything I would probably give this three stars。 But as I already know most of this it can be very dull at times。 Civilization is by no means a bad or dishonest book， rather it is an overly simplistic one to the point where it is more opinion then actual history。 I believe that the idea of western civilization provides a useful （if overused） lens through which to view the past and present。 However Ferguson even fails to provide a coherent definition of what the west actually entails。 This question alone could occupy a separate book。 The portions dealing with Christianity in China and political division as a prerequisite for scientific progress were very interesting。 However， they were treated far too briefly。 I would have appreciated more depth in just about every part of the book。 。。。more
Paul Floyd
，
I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't at all like this book， based on remarks about Ferguson being a "conservative" historian。 It wasn't as bad as I feared。 There is a bit of climate change skepticism。 I didn't at all agree with his points about the protestant work ethic。 He clearly has an axe to grind against anything related to socialism or communism， and to continue my metaphor， does a hatchet job on Karl Marx。 I wonder if all of his alt-right heroes all lead squeaky clean lives？ The '6 apps' se I was a bit afraid that I wouldn't at all like this book， based on remarks about Ferguson being a "conservative" historian。 It wasn't as bad as I feared。 There is a bit of climate change skepticism。 I didn't at all agree with his points about the protestant work ethic。 He clearly has an axe to grind against anything related to socialism or communism， and to continue my metaphor， does a hatchet job on Karl Marx。 I wonder if all of his alt-right heroes all lead squeaky clean lives？ The '6 apps' seem also to be chosen to fit a conservative agenda。 What about a 7th， 'Taxation'， to pay for the health care， education and scientific research that put the West ahead， at least from the end of the 19th century。In conclusion I found the 1st four chapters good， but the last 2 and the conclusion spoiled by the right-wing dogma。 。。。more
Moin Uddin
，
A simplified overview of how the balance of power shifted from the east to west。 Selective in the narration， by using a selective imagery of historical milestones。 The book misses the eastern and African perspectives while rationalizing the western conquest based on colonial adventurism， eugenics and usage of brute force in capturing the people and its territories。 #Recommended reading
Abdullah Almuslem
，
لماذا سيطر الغرب على الشرق؟ هذا هو هدف الكتاب والذي حاول فيه الكاتب الإجابة عن هذا السؤال على الرغم بأنه لم يكن حيادي بشكل كامل。 يبدأ الكتاب بمقطع من رواية صامويل جونسون （راسيلاس أمير الحبشة）:ماهي الوسائل。。。 التي جعلت الأوروبيين أقوياء هكذا؟ أو لماذا لا يستطيع الآسيويون والأفريقيون، ولأنهم يستطيعون زيارة آسيا وأفريقيا بسهولة من أجل التجارة أو السيطرة، زرع مستعمراتهم في موانئ هاتين القارتين، وإصدار القوانين لأمرائهما؟ إن الرياح ذاتها التي تعود بهم هي التي تنقلنا إلى هناك。أجاب الفيلسوف إملاك:إنهم لماذا سيطر الغرب على الشرق؟ هذا هو هدف الكتاب والذي حاول فيه الكاتب الإجابة عن هذا السؤال على الرغم بأنه لم يكن حيادي بشكل كامل。 يبدأ الكتاب بمقطع من رواية صامويل جونسون （راسيلاس أمير الحبشة）:ماهي الوسائل。。。 التي جعلت الأوروبيين أقوياء هكذا؟ أو لماذا لا يستطيع الآسيويون والأفريقيون، ولأنهم يستطيعون زيارة آسيا وأفريقيا بسهولة من أجل التجارة أو السيطرة، زرع مستعمراتهم في موانئ هاتين القارتين، وإصدار القوانين لأمرائهما؟ إن الرياح ذاتها التي تعود بهم هي التي تنقلنا إلى هناك。أجاب الفيلسوف إملاك:إنهم يـا ســـيدي ، أقوى منا ، ولأنهم أكثر حكمة منا، وهكذا فإن المعرفة سوف تتفوق على الجهل، أي مثل ما يدير أي رجل الحيوانات الأخرى。（من لم يقرأ رواية صامويل جونسون هذه، فإني أنصحه بقرائتها）على أية حال الكاتب، يحصر تفوق الغرب على الشرق في آخر 500 عام في ستة عوامل:1-tالمنافسة: ويقصد بها أن أوروبا كانت في القرن الخامس عشر مقسمة إلى ممالك صغيرة كلها كانت تتنافس على الموارد والسيطرة، مما شجع على الأبتكار وظهرت شركات تتنافس فيما بينها مما أدى إلى التطور العسكري والأقتصادي。 2-tالثورة العلمية: فقد برع الأوروبيين في القرن السادس عشر في علم الرياضيات والفلك والفيزياء والكيمياء。 ويذكر الكاتب على عجالة أن العلوم انتقلت إلى أوروبا عن طريق الحضارة الإسلامية。 ويذكر أيضا، أن هذا السبب كان أحد أكبر عوامل تفوق الغرب على الشرق。 فعندما انهزم العثمانيون في حصار فيينا، بدأ انحدار الإمبراطورية العثمانية وتخلفت عن الغرب في مجال العلوم。 ولم تواكب الإمبراطورية العثمانية الغرب في التطور ومنعت الطباعة وتخلف العالم الإسلامي وأصبح الغرب هو من يحمل لواء العلم بدل الشرق。 وكذلك الصين والتي وصلت لفترة جمود جعلها تحارب أي جديد أو تغيير مما جعلهم متخلفين علميا عن نظرائهم في الغرب。3-tحكم القانون: والذي ساعد الأوروبيين على حفظ حقوق الملكية والفكرية وتمثيل مالكي العقارات في مجالس تشريعية منتخبة ونظام حاكم عادل لحد ما。 وقد توصل الكاتب إلى نفس الفكرة التي جاء بها الكاتب دارون اسيموجلو في كتابه （لماذا تفشل الأمم） والذي قال بأن الدول المتطورة ارتقت لأنها أسست مؤسسات قانونية تحفظ كرامة المواطن。 ويقارن الكاتب بين أمريكا الشمالية والجنوبية ويذكر أن السبب الرئيسي لاختلافهم هو المؤسسات القانونية。 فأمريكا الجنوبية هي تأسست عن طريق الأسبان بالقوة وأسست دكتاتوريات منذ البداية وظلت هذه الدكتاتوريات حتى يومنا هذا。 بينما في أمريكا الشمالية، أسس نظام مغاير حيث كان عامة الناس يملكون أراضي ويشاركون في القرار السياسي، فاستمر الأمر على ما هو وانتشرت الدمقراطية فيها。 4-tالطب الحديث: وهنا يدعي الكاتب أن الأوربيين استعمروا أفريقيا ليس بالسلاح فقط، بل بالعقاقير。 جعلت العقاقير المكتشفة في القرن التاسع عشر والعشرين الغرب يسيطر على الأمراض الأستوائية مما جعل لهم اليد عليا على الشعوب المريضة。5-tالمجتمع الاستهلاكي: حيث أصبح الأوروبيين مجتمع استهلاكي يشجع على التجارة الرخيصة。 فالثورة الصناعية والتي بدأت في بريطانيا عززت الإنتاجية متمثلة بالبضائع الرخيصة وذلك ابتدأ بالملابس القطنية。 6-tأخلاقيات العمل: وهنا يتشعب الكاتب في أمور كثيرة。 منها أن المسيحية البروتستانية التي كانت منتشرة في اسكتلندا وإنجلترا كانت تشجع على العمل والأخلاق الاجتماعية والادخار وهي أحد أسباب التطور الصناعي في بريطانيا بالمقارنة مع الدول الكاثوليكية。 الكاتب لم يدعي أن الحضارة الغربية كانت حضارة أخلاقية。 فهو يعترف بالمجازر التي أرتكبها الغرب في العالم الجديد （أمريكا） ويعترف بالعبودية التي مارستها الدول الأوروبية في أفريقيا كفرنسا وبلجيكا وألمانيا。 وهو يعترف بأن الغرب تطور على حساب الشعوب الأخرى عن طريق استعمارها واستخراج خيراتها。 ويتحدث أيضا عن وحشية الغرب والتي ظهرت واضحة في الحرب العالمتين。 لكنه يقول أن محاسن الحضارة الغربية كثيرة على الرغم من المساوئ الجلية。 ثم يتحدث الكاتب عن الصين وكيف أنها بدأت تغير من توازن العالم وأن حضارة الغرب هي على شفة الانهيار。 ويتكلم كيف أن الأخلاق قد انعدمت في الغرب وأن الأوروبيين لا يهتمون بالدين وقد انسلخوا عن تعاليم المسيحية الحقة。 وهو يصرح بأن الحضارة دائما ما يكون بجوارها دين، فإن انسلخت منه انهارت。 ويتحدث عن أن الحضارات بعكس ما يعتقده الناس، تسقط فجأة。 ويتكلم عن كتاب غيبون （ظهور وسقوط الحضارة الرومانية） ويورد منه مقاطع تبين أن الحضارة الرومانية سقطت فجأة وفي غضون جيل واحد。 ويتنبأ بأن الصين （الكتاب منشور في عام 2010） سوف تكون هي القوة الرائدة في العالم بعد أن كانت في يد الولايات المتحدة。الكتاب طويل لكن به كم هائل من التاريخ والتحليلات التي تستند إلى حقائق كثيرة。 انصح بالكتاب。 。。。more
Raúl
，
Un repaso a lo inicios de la civilización occidental y análisis d las posibles causas de su triunfo y el actual principio de decadencia。No es lo mejor que leído sobre el tema。 ⭐⭐⭐
Adrián Cruz
，
I am glad to have read this book due to the fact that most of the knowledge Ferguson presents is already in my background storage， which caused me to have a lot of 'aha' moments。 He is a historian and the book is written as such， sometimes boring in detail， but also having diverse quotes。 Harari's Sapiens could be the little brother or sister of Civilization （Sapiens was published 5 years later）， so it seems that this sort of description of historical developments sets a strong normative narrati I am glad to have read this book due to the fact that most of the knowledge Ferguson presents is already in my background storage， which caused me to have a lot of 'aha' moments。 He is a historian and the book is written as such， sometimes boring in detail， but also having diverse quotes。 Harari's Sapiens could be the little brother or sister of Civilization （Sapiens was published 5 years later）， so it seems that this sort of description of historical developments sets a strong normative narrative that we all have to somehow accept。 It makes sense though。 It is logical that competition between units stimulates innovation， or that progress in medicine prolongs life， which creates a healthy workforce for the economy - all suppositious protagonists of the Western success story。 But after all this Western muscle flexing， I am planning to read Chinese， Indian or Arab historical interpretation of the Western development， but interestingly how they have been perceiving their own development。 For now， I am just going to pretend that we are the winners， but also， just for now。 。。。more
Dj
，