Civilization: Is the West History?

British-born Harvard historian Niall Ferguson specializes in cheerfully alarmist tomes about the decline of the West. In this six-episode series—a companion to his book Civilization: The West and the Rest—Ferguson argues that Euro-American civilization no longer holds a monopoly on the special qualities which made the West globally dominant for the past five centuries. Always quick with a phrase, Ferguson terms these the “killer apps,” responsible for Europe's rise to power in the early modern period: competition, scientific inquiry, property rights, medical innovation, consumerism, and the work ethic. Ferguson devotes one episode to each, but his eclectic approach leads him to address associated topics that occasionally overwhelm the original subjects. So the treatment of property leads to discussions of democracy and the rule of law, while the episode on medicine branches off into considerations of empire and racial Darwinism, and the piece on work features a sidebar on religion, particularly the relationship between Protestantism and entrepreneurial drive. The overall result is a highly selective historical survey of the West since the 15th century, unquestionably eccentric and tendentious but also provocative and lavishly illustrated with dramatic re-creations, artwork, and location footage, backed by Ferguson's engaging narration (although his penchant for puns—“not the space race but the spice race”—can be occasionally groan-worthy). Despite the title, this isn't a diatribe against globalization; Ferguson concludes by suggesting that the real danger to the West lies not so much in the fact that other areas of the world are adopting its “apps,” but rather in the West's own loss of self-confidence. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (F. Swietek)