Finally the Truth about the Rise of the West Modernity developed only in
the West--in Europe and North America. Nowhere else did science and
democracy arise; nowhere else was slavery outlawed. Only Westerners
invented chimneys, musical scores, telescopes, eyeglasses, pianos,
electric lights, aspirin, and soap. The question is, Why? Unfortunately,
that question has become so politically incorrect that most scholars
avoid it. But acclaimed author Rodney Stark provides the answers in this
sweeping new look at Western civilization. How the West Won
demonstrates the primacy of uniquely Western ideas--among them the
belief in free will, the commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, the
notion that the universe functions according to rational rules that can
be dis-covered, and the emphasis on human freedom and secure property
rights. Taking readers on a thrilling journey from ancient Greece to the
present, Stark challenges much of the received wisdom about Western
history. Stark also debunks absurd fabrications that have flourished in
the past few decades: that the Greeks stole their culture from Africa;
that the West's "discoveries" were copied from the Chinese and Muslims;
that Europe became rich by plundering the non-Western world. At the same
time, he reveals the woeful inadequacy of recent attempts to attribute
the rise of the West to purely material causes--favorable climates,
abundant natural resources, guns and steel. How the West Won displays
Rodney Stark's gifts for lively narrative history and making the latest
scholarship accessible to all readers. This bold, insightful book will
force you to rethink your understanding of the West and the birth of
modernity--and to recognize that Western civilization really has set
itself apart from other cultures.
