[Sherman Logan]

I thought this article was quite interesting, especially when compared to the utter disinterest in other societies traditionally exhibited by Muslim, Hindu and Chinese societies. All three of these societies had to essentially be kicked to pieces by Western Civ before they would deign to notice its existence.

While there is a long history of provincial smugness in Western Civ, there is also a long history of very nearly unique fascination with other cultures.

[attiladhun2]

Goes back further than that. Tacitus waxed eloquent about the noble savage in his Germania.

[Clintonfatigued]

This is very interesting, and an aspect of Western history that I had never imagined.

[tbw2]

A millenium of wondering why we were barbarians to the Romans has created a “we’re less than everyone else’ mentality, despite having been #1 in science and technology for 3 centuries.

[Clintonfatigued]

While this is not a homeschool article, parents who homeschool will probably find this a great addition to the history lesson, and for their own intellectual pursuits, as well.

[mjp]

Yet there is a long Western tradition — Jean-Jacques Rousseau was just one of many belonging to it; Rudyard Kipling, too — of viewing other civilizations as superior to the West.

Age of Enlightenment values of the West have lead to a culture that is objectively superior to any other because economic progress of the West has increased life and well being better than any other culture, and the ability to acquire knowledge is better than any other.