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I have a theory that if the East and West are ever going to reconcile their differences, we must find a way to retrace how these two great civilizations separat

I have a theory that if the East and West are ever going to reconcile their differences, we must find a way to retrace how these two great civilizations separated in the first place. What caused our societies to drift apart? Was it primarily circumstantial factors, like geography and competition for limited resources? Did religion play a role, like the recent East-West schism, where early societies self-segregated according to monotheist and polytheist beliefs? Was it driven by language, where the East and West favored certain modes of expression, eventually manifesting as logographs or alphabets? Did it originate in primordial social contracts, where early famers and shepherds drove nomadic hunter gatherers further to the North and East? Probably the original motive lies buried in the sands of time, but I think these are fascinating questions and would be curious to know what answers future historians might come up with.

gerdesj 5y ago
Take a look at a globe. Where does east and west start and stop? When you find yourself in a binary quandary, you are nearly always going to be arguing yourself into complete twaddle. Think: East:West, Black:White, North:South, Man:Woman, "Normal": ... . That way lies madness. It is trivial to slide into exclusiveness. I try to be inclusive. Back in the day I was the fat child left on the sidelines when picking footie teams. Then I went to a different school that also offered rugby as well as football. That's an odd form of inclusivity but I found my place for a while: I had quite a lot of extra inertia and kinetic energy and discovered how to apply it quite efficiently. Back to your comment, which I don't think needs down votes but questioning. Where do you perceive East and West colliding? Turkey?
- bmc7505 5y ago
  > That way lies madness. Perhaps. I think a clearer understanding could also give us a better appreciation of our common values and unique differences. There is something we all share in common: a desire for peace, order, stability. And there is something qualitatively different between how Eastern and Western societies are structured to achieve those goals. By studying our historical differences, we can build a better understanding of how our societies are uniquely equipped to handle future challenges. > I had quite a lot of extra inertia and kinetic energy. That is an interesting story, thank you for sharing! I agree with you that physical differences are definitely worth celebrating. Fat people have an advantage in many arenas (can survive much longer in famine and are good at physical sports like rugby), just like people who live in high altitudes or chase food to survive. More importantly, humans also have ideological differences and it would seem those differences, real or perceived, are the source of our current tensions. > Where do you perceive East and West colliding? Historically, friction has arisen in two places: the Middle East, and the Pacific. The first seems more religiously motivated, which could be a reflection of different cultural values but I think those waters are too muddy to tell. The recent cross-Pacific tension seems like a more direct clash between individualism and collectivism. Studying the environmental factors that gave rise to our differences could help us navigate where each society is better adapted, or how they can complement each other to achieve our common goals.

gerdesj 5y ago

Take a look at a globe. Where does east and west start and stop? When you find yourself in a binary quandary, you are nearly always going to be arguing yourself into complete twaddle. Think: East:West, Black:White, North:South, Man:Woman, "Normal": ... . That way lies madness. It is trivial to slide into exclusiveness. I try to be inclusive. Back in the day I was the fat child left on the sidelines when picking footie teams. Then I went to a different school that also offered rugby as well as football. That's an odd form of inclusivity but I found my place for a while: I had quite a lot of extra inertia and kinetic energy and discovered how to apply it quite efficiently. Back to your comment, which I don't think needs down votes but questioning. Where do you perceive East and West colliding? Turkey?

bmc7505 5y ago
> That way lies madness. Perhaps. I think a clearer understanding could also give us a better appreciation of our common values and unique differences. There is something we all share in common: a desire for peace, order, stability. And there is something qualitatively different between how Eastern and Western societies are structured to achieve those goals. By studying our historical differences, we can build a better understanding of how our societies are uniquely equipped to handle future challenges. > I had quite a lot of extra inertia and kinetic energy. That is an interesting story, thank you for sharing! I agree with you that physical differences are definitely worth celebrating. Fat people have an advantage in many arenas (can survive much longer in famine and are good at physical sports like rugby), just like people who live in high altitudes or chase food to survive. More importantly, humans also have ideological differences and it would seem those differences, real or perceived, are the source of our current tensions. > Where do you perceive East and West colliding? Historically, friction has arisen in two places: the Middle East, and the Pacific. The first seems more religiously motivated, which could be a reflection of different cultural values but I think those waters are too muddy to tell. The recent cross-Pacific tension seems like a more direct clash between individualism and collectivism. Studying the environmental factors that gave rise to our differences could help us navigate where each society is better adapted, or how they can complement each other to achieve our common goals.