Civilization

In "Civilization: The West and the Rest," bestselling author Niall Ferguson explores the extraordinary rise of Western civilization over the past five hundred years, contrasting it with Eastern powers like Ming China and Ottoman Turkey. He argues that the West gained dominance by developing six critical concepts—competition, science, the rule of law, consumerism, modern medicine, and a strong work ethic—that were absent in other cultures. Ferguson poses thought-provoking questions about whether Western supremacy is waning and how this transformation reshaped global dynamics.