In Why the West Rules - For Now Ian Morris argues that to understand the development of East and West, we need to look beyond 'long-term lock-in' theories (that suggest it was inevitable) and 'short-term accident' theories. Instead, we need to measure social development - a group's ability to master its environment to get things done - and use the results to look at the patterns of history.
Why the West Rules - For Now briefly describes the methods used to calculate Eastern and Western social development scores since the ice age; in The Measure of Civilisation, Morris expands upon these methods, discussing possible objections to this approach, and providing fascinating accounts of his gathering of evidence for his calculations. It is a magnificent account of where our understanding of the development of East and West comes from, and an unusual insight into a master thinker at work.
- ISBN10 1781250197
- ISBN13 9781781250198
- Publish Date 21 February 2013
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 29 July 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Profile Books Ltd
- Edition Main
- Format Paperback (UK Trade)
- Pages 400
- Language English