Arnold Toynbee "The Misconception of the Unity of Civilization" proves me right. (I need to type all that from the book beside me here) "A Study of History" Arnold Toynbee
QUOTE
"The thesis of unity of civilization is a misconception into which modem Western historians have been led by the influence of their social environment. The misleading feature is the fact that, in modern times, our won Western civilization has cast the net of its economic system all over the world, and this economic unification on a western basis has been followed by a political unification..."
As for egocentric illusion, it is natural enough and all that need be said is that we Westerners have not been its only victims. The Jews suffered from the illusion that they were not a but the 'chosen people'. What we call 'natives', they called 'gentiles' and the Greeks called 'Barbarians'
But the finest flower of egocentricity is perhaps the missive presented in A.D. 1793 by the philosophic emperor of China, Ch'ien Lung, to a British envoy for delivery to his master, King George III:
'You, O King, live beyond the confines of many seas; nevertheless, impelled by our humble desire to partake of the benefits of our civilization,...If you assert that your assert that your reverence for Our Celestial Dynasty fills you with a desire to acquire our civilization, our ceremonies and code of laws differ so completely from your own that, even if your envoy were able to acquire the rudiments of our civilization, you could not possibly transplant our manner our customs to your alien soil...(etc etc and end likes that)
As you ambassador can see for himself we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your countries' manufactures"
As the political map has been westernized, the cultural map remains substantially what it was before our Western Society started on its career of economic and political conquest.
UNQUOTE
Therefore, no matter the colours of the map, Eurasia lies therein as it always have, Elmat may conclude.
Europeans cling to the idea of a unity of civilization. A civilization that must be aspired for and that needs nothing from the other civilizations as the Chinese thought they did not. For all members of a given civilization see himself at the center of the Solar System and all the others are the shirtless... |
