Why the West Rules--for Now
The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future
by Ian Morris · first published 2011
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…Steel is rather extreme in suggesting an 'geological determinism.' [1] While his arguments are generally quite good, there is simply quite a bit more happening. A nice book to balance this is Ian Morris, Why the West Rules--For Now. [1] Jarred Diamond actually warns of this determinism fallacy, but the book certainly left me with the impression that such a determinism exists.
on “That Daily Shower Can Be a Killer” ↗I agree with both your points--at least with respect to Guns Germs and Steel. Arguably he way overextended his basic research in later works. An interesting supplement to Diamond is Ian Morris' Why the West Rules--for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future. To greatly oversimplify, Morris endorses the idea of a Western core headstart (with credit to Diamond) but then basically says "Well, yeah,…
on “Should we stop believing Malcolm Gladwell?” ↗You might enjoy the book "Why the West Rules -- For Now" (http://www.amazon.com/Why-West-Rules-Now-Patterns/dp/0312611...) One of the main premises is that the impact of societies on other societies ("ruling" in the vernacular of the book, as this impact…
on “Peter Thiel Is Wrong About the Future” ↗Good point. If GG&S changed the way you think, I'd highly recommend following it up with either the book from that review (Eric Wolf's "Europe and the People without History") or Ian Morris's "Why The West Rules, For Now".
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗I'd add Why the West Rules for Now by Ian Morris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_the_West_Rules%E2%80%94For... It makes the (to me) convincing argument that geographic determinism, while important, doesn't really explain why the western…
on “Why some nations are rich and others poor (2016)” ↗I heard those same opinions and based on recommendations from r/AskHistorians they suggest Why The West Rules - For Now by Ian Morris as a replacement.
on “The Best Books on the Great Divergence” ↗In the same genre Ian Morris Why the west rules - for now is also very good. ( And if you did not already read it, Collapse by Diamond.)
on “Computer simulations suggest war drove the rise of civilizations” ↗When Smith wrote, China had already fallen behind. Unlike the United States, they have been there for 3000 years, though. I recommend "Why the West rules - for now" by Ian Morris if you want to get an idea of this.
on “Why the World Is Too Optimistic About China's Economic Future” ↗…list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages): - History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell : This is a wonderful book. Read it. - Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris : How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking. - the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch : A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside…
on “Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?” ↗…History of Humankind * Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely * A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson * The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins * Why the West Rules—for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future by Ian Morris * What a Wonderful World: One Man's Attempt to Explain the Big Stuff by Marcus Chown * The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution,…
on “Ask HN: Books to better understand the world?” ↗Not a historian, but _Why the West Rules - For Now_ by Ian Morris was a good read. Covers the sweep of world history with the audacious goal of quantifying human development at all moments in history. It mainly focuses on the west (starting in the Mesopotamian…
on “Why books don't work (2019)” ↗Wow, makes sense. Makes me really interested to read more about Indian history. I like "Why the West Rules - for now" by Ian Morris, for world history. Can you recommend a book?
on “Ask HN: What Happened to India?” ↗r/AskHistorians seems to prefer Why The West Rules: For Now by Ian Morris. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004ASNG04
on “How did Europe become the richest part of the world?” ↗…addressed in a single comment on a forum, nor in a blog post. I know my answer sounds like a cop-out, but if you are willing to invest the time and energy, I'd highly recommend reading Ian Morris' magnum opus Why the West Rules -- For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future.
on “Bhutan, after prioritizing happiness, now faces an existential crisis” ↗Although it's not its main topic, I enjoyed Ian Morris' Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future, which goes over this in a way that really fascinated me. The book's ideas seem contested but as a layman it was a great tour of many years…
on “Late Bronze Age Collapse” ↗