From the bestselling author of The Ascent of Money and The Square
and the Tower
"A dazzling history of Western ideas." --The Economist
"Mr. Ferguson tells his story with characteristic verve and an eye for
the felicitous phrase." --Wall Street Journal
"[W]ritten with vitality and verve . . . a tour de force." --Boston
Globe
Western civilization's rise to global dominance is the single most
important historical phenomenon of the past five centuries.
How did the West overtake its Eastern rivals? And has the zenith of
Western power now passed? Acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson argues that
beginning in the fifteenth century, the West developed six powerful new
concepts, or "killer applications"--competition, science, the rule of
law, modern medicine, consumerism, and the work ethic--that the Rest
lacked, allowing it to surge past all other competitors.
Yet now, Ferguson shows how the Rest have downloaded the killer apps the
West once monopolized, while the West has literally lost faith in
itself. Chronicling the rise and fall of empires alongside clashes (and
fusions) of civilizations, Civilization: The West and the Rest recasts
world history with force and wit. Boldly argued and teeming with
memorable characters, this is Ferguson at his very best.