3 replies to this topic

[dagny]

The two-part series examines Niall Ferguson's six principles of prosperity: Competition, Science, Modern Medicine, Property, Consumerism, and Work Ethic. For the past five centuries, Western power has prevailed around the world. What led the West to be so influential? And how long will the West sustain its supremacy?

PBS show with Niall Ferguson. It was the first PBS program that got me to actively shout at the TV that they were inferring the wrong things, there were other factors, what about Russia and what are your credentials? The first thing that should have tipped me off was the sponsors of the program. I only recognized one person. Usually with most PBS shows, you recognize a few with "and PBS donors like you".

He went off about how the west encouraged science and the east, not so much. He never explained why the east didn't progress. He also completely ignored Russia and the multiple leaps forwards they had to do to even catch up with Western Europe.

The part that infuriated me was that "hey everyone in the US could vote, that is what made America great", except if you didn't have something between your legs, owned property, over a certain age and were the right color.

[Constantinople]

The program didn't make much sense, and it was so boring and paint-by-the-numbers that I stopped watching.

Trade and greed aren't the same thing as capitalism. You can all the Kings and Queens of Portugal and Spain a lot of things, but capitalists isn't one of them.

The emphasis on the siege of Vienna didn't make much sense either since, according to the narrator, even if the Turks had won, they wouldn't have stayed in Vienna long.

For that matter, he didn't provide any connection between what happened in Portugal & Spain, and what happened in Vienna.

As for Frederick the Great and service to the state, I'm not sure how being almost wiped-out, only to have your bacon saved by the death of the Empress of Russia, is indicative of great statesmanship or an explanation as to how the West "won". For that matter, they also didn't mention the partition of Poland. That's not service, but piracy writ large.

Plus, if fragmentation of authority is good because it leads to competition, shouldn't 500 - 1000 AD been a golden age in Europe, when it was much more fragmented than around 1500. Moreover, shouldn't he be calling for the break-up of the United States, China & other large states?

[dagny]

Ah, the partitioning of Poland. Why try to develop a middle class when you can annex it.

I never really bought his work ethic argument. Was he saying that the West prospered because we knew how to utilize our slaves or serfs more efficiently than the East? For all of his West is best, he didn't explore how his six principles didn't apply in the east.

I've come to the conclusion based on two whole history classes in college that the land dictates the economy, language development and central control. Fertile land gets you farmers, arid land gets you nomads. Rough terrain breeds isolated languages, trade & distance encourage common language. If it costs you half your crop to trade with the next town over, you won’t go there. Governments hate nomads because they are harder to control.

Great unifying theories are hard. I don’t think he is bringing enough to the table to prove his point.

[dagny]

Sorry for the double post. I tried, I really tried to watch the second installment. I think I made it through most of his theory on blue jeans tearing down the Berlin Wall before I had to stop watching it in continuous fashion.

I read something more recently about how the CIA sponsored modern art exhibits to show people behind the Iron Curtain how free it is over here. You don't have to be stodgy.

It was kinda interesting about how Senegalese were given their freedom, but then used for cannon fodder during WWI.

One of the things that kept bothering me was how he kept referring to his six major forces as "apps". "Work Ethic" is an app. Especially the Protestant Work Ethic. As apposed to those lazy Catholics?

How does consumerism make the West great when people can only afford to be consumers if they have excess funds. Henry Ford initially paid his employees double the going rate because he wanted them to have money to buy his cars. Things don't happen in a vacuum.

I would like to thank Word for correcting my spelling errors. Especially since the Spelling Bee is going on at this time. I realize I can't even spell like a 10th grader.