Why the West Rules--For Now

The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal about the Future

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Ian Morris: Why the West Rules--For Now (2010, Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

English language

Published Nov. 6, 2010 by Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

ISBN:
978-1-4299-7704-3
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5 stars (3 reviews)

4 editions

Very readable "big" world history focusing on west vs. east

5 stars

This was a great, readable world history. The style is breezy and doesn't feel like a textbook full of dates and treaties to be memorized. (But maybe that's because I approached it voluntarily.)

Morris's idea of a single numeric metric to use to compare West and East might not seem right, but it's a great device to sort of "motivate" the narrative, and provides a pretty interesting lens through which to view the collapse of Rome and Industrial Revolution, and yields a pretty good explanation for Chinese pride and the resentment of the "century of humiliation".

Why the West rules - for now

5 stars

Advised by a friend some years ago, it took me quite some time to get through this giant book, but it was totally worth it.

This book explores the possible reasons that made our world look like it is right now and gives a clear and interesting explanation on why the West rules, disregarding the early lock-in theory in favor of geographic influence and climate changes.

It's a wonderful read that will take you from 9000 BC to the present day step by step, explaining the ebbs and flows of history and the evolution of our societies throughout the ages. It taught me quite a lot and made me reframe how I saw the world and history, giving me a macro view instead of the history we are often taught of "great men".

If you have a knack for History, I recommend this book a hundred times as it will …

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rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Civilization, western
  • Civilization, modern
  • East and west