Tuesday, March 8, 2011

The six killer apps of Western Civilization

The Harvard historian Niall Ferguson, who has just written a book, Civilization: The West and the Rest, puts things in historical context: "For 500 years the West patented six killer applications that set it apart. The first to download them was Japan. Over the last century, one Asian country after another has downloaded these killer apps — competition, modern science, the rule of law and private property rights, modern medicine, the consumer society and the work ethic. Those six things are the secret sauce of Western civilization."end quote.

If you look carefully at civilization on earth from 1860 until now, the civilizations that mastered or are mastering these six killer apps of western civilization are competing or will compete more effectively in the future. So, because of this the U.S and Europe are no longer alone using these six killer apps to stay on top. Now, any nation of consequence has mastered or is now mastering these six killer apps of western civilization. They are once again:
1. competition
2. modern science
3. the rule of law and private property rights
4. modern medicine
5. the consumer society
6. the work ethic

These six killer apps have completely changed the world. Europe and the U.S. are still on top but for how long? 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

It all depends upon what happens now worldwide regarding food cost and distribution, oil cost and distribution, Global climate change and a few other factors.

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