In spite of the euro-centric title (reminds me of Cultural Literacy by Hirsch back in the 80’s), Mr Ferguson managed to zoom out from history to de-construct the rise of the
West (past) versus the rise of the Rest (present).
He picked out some no-brainers like modern medicine, scientific revolution (which paved the way for the Industrial Revolution) and the rule of law.
Other “soft” features such as competition, work ethic and consumer society (blue jeans in particular), are more transferable.
Mr Ferguson’s devoted considerable space to textile and blue jeans to show wide-spread democratizing effect across the globe. One (anyone) can just buy (consume) a pair of blue jeans, and work hard for the money (work ethic) to buy them.
Consumerism, the tip of capitalism iceberg e.g. pharmaceutical products and I-phones (technology brought about by science) , will find or have found their way into the society near you.
Take China as a case in point.
The new Chinese dream (a resurging civilization in modern times) urges people (Africans included) to trade, to copy, to consume (instead of saving) and to compete on a global scale (Lenovo, Alibaba and Huawei). As of this writing, GM default ignition switches were made in China. Lots of law suits, lots of heads roll.
Work ethic!!!?
The retro movement in America plays to this nostalgic theme: quality things used to be made in heartland America, with Protestant work ethic and rule of law (IP and union law).
But the aging of America and Japan (as shown in Google’s imported talents from all over the world) by default, gives rise to the likes of China, not only for manufacturing and service outsourcing, but also to expand its consumer base. More KFC and Domino pizzas sold, the higher the shareholders’ return.
America (the technological arms of old European civilization and scientific revolution) cannot sustain its own appetite without the rise of the Rest (network effect) . Its economy contracts almost 3 per cent on Q1 this year. The mall turned heated gymnasium by default for senior citizens to “window shop” during the 2014 Polar Vortex months.
Back to Mr Ferguson’s observations. Maybe “civilization” has moved on and found new homes. Just like the Ottoman’s Empire and Chinese Empire before it.
In our online and global society, people cream off what is at the top (first page of search results). TOP of Mind Attention. The rest can be laid to rest. Such as the nature of today’s beast. Short-term memory, short attention span.
I gotta to stop here. No time for Chaucer and the book of Common Prayer. No time for ironing and window shopping. Just enough time to put on a pair of blue jeans and online shopping. Time is the new money. And memory capacity, not just in the laptop or mobile phone, but in our heads, is full. In need of “defragmentalization”. We invented the machine (industrial revolution). Now the machine is reinventing us (screen addiction). Bye for now. Got to rest the weary eyes and aching muscles. Old hardware cannot run on new 24/7 software . Civilization comes and goes. At times it rises in the West, other time, it’s the rise of the Rest.
Thang Nguyen 555 