The Measure of Civilisation

This title offers a unique insight into the index of social development that measures change in East and West - and that forms the core of the international bestseller. 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.

ISBN 1781250197   DEWEY edition DC23 ISBN13 9781781250198 (What's this?)   Pages 256 Publisher Profile Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Profile Books Ltd   Height (mm) 216 Format Paperback   Width (mm) 135 Publication date 21 Feb 2013   Academic level General DEWEY 909

"'The nearest thing to a unified field theory of history we are ever likely to get' (Niall Ferguson) 'A provocative and extraordinary contribution to wide-screen comparative history... a true banquet of ideas' (Boyd Tonkin, Independent) 'An important book - one that challenges, stimulates and entertains. Anyone who does not believe there are lessons to be learned from history should start here' (Economist)"

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