{"product_id":"how-the-west-won-the-neglected-story-of-the-triumph-of-modernity-paperback","title":"How the West Won: The Neglected Story of the Triumph of Modernity - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRodney Stark\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally the Truth about the Rise of the West Modernity developed only in the West--in Europe and North America. Nowhere else did science and democracy arise; nowhere else was slavery outlawed. Only Westerners invented chimneys, musical scores, telescopes, eyeglasses, pianos, electric lights, aspirin, and soap. The question is, Why? Unfortunately, that question has become so politically incorrect that most scholars avoid it. But acclaimed author Rodney Stark provides the answers in this sweeping new look at Western civilization. \u003ci\u003eHow the West Won\u003c\/i\u003e demonstrates the primacy of uniquely Western ideas--among them the belief in free will, the commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, the notion that the universe functions according to rational rules that can be dis-covered, and the emphasis on human freedom and secure property rights. Taking readers on a thrilling journey from ancient Greece to the present, Stark challenges much of the received wisdom about Western history. Stark also debunks absurd fabrications that have flourished in the past few decades: that the Greeks stole their culture from Africa; that the West's \"discoveries\" were copied from the Chinese and Muslims; that Europe became rich by plundering the non-Western world. At the same time, he reveals the woeful inadequacy of recent attempts to attribute the rise of the West to purely material causes--favorable climates, abundant natural resources, guns and steel. \u003ci\u003eHow the West Won\u003c\/i\u003e displays Rodney Stark's gifts for lively narrative history and making the latest scholarship accessible to all readers. This bold, insightful book will force you to rethink your understanding of the West and the birth of modernity--and to recognize that Western civilization really has set itself apart from other cultures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRodney Stark\u003c\/b\u003e is the award-winning author of \u003ci\u003eHow the West Won\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Victory of Reason\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Rise of Christianity\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGod's Battalions\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other books. He serves as Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at Baylor University, where he is codirector of the Institute for Studies of Religion. Stark is past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion and of the Association for the Sociology of Religion. Before earning his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley, he was a staff writer for several major publications. Stark's books have been translated into Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, and Turkish.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 464\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.3 x 9 x 5.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 15, 2015\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51765114700064,"sku":"9781610171397","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/08b97a79dc577cfd22541261758c26ff.webp?v=1780262306","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/how-the-west-won-the-neglected-story-of-the-triumph-of-modernity-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}