Figure 1.--We begin to get photographs from the Middle East in the 1860s. The outsoor scenes show a region that was virtually unchanged for a millenium. We see towns and villages with no trace of modern technology. Not only do we see this in the 19th century, but the 20th century as well. This photograph was taken in Karnack during 1929. The picture was taken during a cruise stop on board the 'SS Rotterdam' during a cruise in the Mediterranean. The photo is from an album which belonged to Mr. & Mrs. Jacob William Moerlein. It could havebeen taken a mellinnium earlier. And Egypt was the most advanced of the Arab states.

The West led the way to modernity. The scientific method invented in the west (16th century) as well as democracy and capitalism led to remarkable change that became increasingy manifest by the 19th century . We see, however, a a failure of modernity in large areas of the world. This led to a significant expansion of Europeam colonial empires. This also led to European contact essentially with people which time as litterally forgot. And thanks to photography there are visual records of these societies. And not only in the 19th century, we see images from the 20th century showing extemely backward areas. I first became aware of this phemonenon when I was thumbing through our family Bible. I remember as a child thinking that the photographs of Holy Land scenes were actually taken in ancient times. The reason for that was that there was absolutely no indication of modernity such as electrical or telephone lines, cars or other motor velicles, rail lines, factories, TV atenna or the other indicators of modernity. And here we are not talking about a little behind. We see images that could have been taken not only in the middle ages, but are so devoid of technology that they could have been taken in ancient times. Sub- Saharan Africa was the single most backward area. But we see countries showing great poverty and the lack of technolog in many other areas as well. One of the most backward areas is the Muslim world streaching from Central Asia through North Africa. North Africa was a little different because it was colonized by the Europeans. We notice other areas that seem backward such as India and China and are not sure how to compare them with the Middle East and Central Asia. And of course any such comparison had to destinguish between urban and rural areas.

The West and Modernity

The West led the way to modernity. The scientific method invented in the west (16th century) as well as democracy and capitalism led to remarkable change that became increasingy manifest by the 19th century. It is not entrely clear why it was that it was the West that invented modernity. If alience from outerspace had visited the world in in the first millenium, they would not have guessed it was the West that would lead the way to modernity. They might haveguess it would be the Caliphate that would lead the way to modernity. It was the cholars and researchers of the Caliphate who ammased the knowledhe of the world through the Translation Proect and came very close to inventing the cientific method. Al Andalus in Spain was the most advanced society in Eyrope. Akhabar's Mogul Empire was the richest empire. And China was a huge engine for invention and society. Many of the inventions that led to th rise of the west came from China. At it was the West that sought to trade with China. China had little interest in the West. Western navigators wanted to reach China because of all the eoderful products produced there like siks and porcelin. The west had little that interested in the Chinese so they had to pay in China. As late as the 19th century. the British had so little to offer the Chinese other than silver in payment that they fought a war to force the Chinese to accept opium.

Economic Failure

We see, however, a failure of modernity in large areas of the world. This led to a significant expansion of Europeam colonial empires. This also led to European contact essentially with people which time as litterally forgot. And thanks to photography there are visual records of these societies. And not only in the 19th century, we see images from the 20th century showing extemely backward areas. I first became aware of this phemonenon when I was thumbing through our family Bible. I remember as a child thinking that the photographs of Holy Land scenes were actually taken in ancient times. The reason for that was that there was absolutely no indication of modernity such as electrical or telephone lines, cars or other motor vehicles, rail lines, factories, TV atenna or the other indicators of modernity. And here we are not talking about a little behind. We see images that could have been taken not only in the middle ages, but are so devoid of modern technology that they could have been taken in ancient times. And we need to point out what the absence of technology meant. Modern PC thinking would have you believe that the industrial revolution all kinds of social problems and inequities. And while industrialization did create some roblems, it also generated wealth that for the first time allowed large numbers of people to rise out of abject poverty and into the middle class. It also allowed the development of medical systems that permitted humanity to master age old problems like infnt mortality and endemic diseases. Those countries which did not industrilize may look picturesque, but they were also socities in which most people dince the dawn of civilization lived lives that were "poor, nasty, brutish and short." [Hobbes]

Regions

Sub-Saharan Africa was the single most backward area. But we see countries showing great poverty and the lack of technolog in many other areas as well. One of the most backward areas is the Muslim world streaching from Central Asia through North Africa. North Africa was a little different because it was colonized by the Europeans. We notice other areas that seem backward such as India and China and are not sure how to compare them with the Middle East and Central Asia. And of course any such comparison had to destinguish between urban and rural areas. Comparing these regions becomes somewhat difficult. It is fairly easy to compare the West with these failed regions. It is more difficult to compare these regions with each other. We are not entirely sure which region was the poorest. In assessing poverty, agricultural productivity has to be a major factor in a pre-industrial world. There seems to be, for example, great poverty in China which may have approached or even exceeded that of China. But notably, Western merchants had no great desire to reach Arab lands. The Arabs until the West discovered ther oil, had very little to offer, other than the trade goods produced in the East, both China and India. Thee were the prductive societies producing the goods coveted by the Europeans.

Why Modernity Failed

The next question after considering why it was im the West that modernity arose is why it failed in other regions. One important author offrs insightful idea centered on geographic and reource issues like flora and faunna as well as disease. [Diamond] We think that these are important factors to be considered and part of the story. But we think tht Diamond perhaps influenced by the prevalet PC thinking in acdemia does not give real weight to the power of culture and ideas. This is whu in his ground-breking book he virtually ignores China and obvious inexplicable ommision in any book that seeks to explain world history. This is an especially important issue because moderity not only failed in the 19th and 20h centuries in many countries, but coninues to lag in many countries. This seems especially the case in the Arab world, except for the Arab counties tht sit on vast pools of oil. Many other Muslim countries have serious problems.

Sources

Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan (1651).

Created: 9:15 PM 12/12/2016
Last updated: 3:27 AM 12/14/2016