> Why do people have to write like this? they don't have to, but it's a beautifully written sentence, a pleasure to read; it's like you're asking "why do exper

> Why do people have to write like this? they don't have to, but it's a beautifully written sentence, a pleasure to read; it's like you're asking "why do experts in an artform actually display their expertise?" here's how to read it. "A pervasive ontology of sameness soon developed." ok, what does that mean? well, it's "rooted in notions of essential humanity and nascent sensitivity to cultural relativism." You probably believe in the essential humanity of all people, and you have sensitivity to relative differences between cultures: he's saying it started at this time, it's a hinge point between what was before and the modern era. We are all the same, our sameness is pervasive, and it's all of us because ontology is comprehensive. Now that we've decoded the first sentence, the rest restates it: The Ottoman enemy and its Christian opponents became, over time, integrated parts of a discernible, albeit internally contentious unity, revealed by that great equaliser, war. now, it doesn't mean he's right, but that's what he's trying to say.