The dead outnumber the living fourteen to one, and we ignore the accumulated experience of such a huge majority of mankind at our peril
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
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Niall Ferguson's book "Civilization: The West and the Rest" discusses the profound imbalance between the living and the dead, highlighting that the deceased vastly outnumber the living by a ratio of fourteen to one. This statistic serves to underline the significance of historical knowledge and the lessons that can be drawn from the experiences of those who came before us. Ignoring this wealth of accumulated wisdom could lead to dire consequences for contemporary society.

The author argues that civilization is built upon the foundations laid by past generations, and it is crucial to learn from history to navigate current challenges. Ferguson emphasizes that the vast majority of human experiences are contained within history, and leveraging this knowledge can guide present and future decision-making, thereby preventing the repetition of mistakes and enhancing societal progress.

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Civilization: The West...
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Niall Ferguson
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Other quotes in Civilization: The West and the Rest

by the second decade of the twentieth century the gap in living standards between London and Beijing was around six to one, compared with two to one in the eighteenth century.36
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
by the second decade of the twentieth century the gap in living standards between London and Beijing was around six to one, compared with two to one in the eighteenth century.36
In 1800 seven out of the world's ten biggest cities had still been Asian, and Beijing had still exceeded London in size. By 1900, largely as a result of the Industrial Revolution, only one of the biggest was Asian; the rest were European or American.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
In 1800 seven out of the world's ten biggest cities had still been Asian, and Beijing had still exceeded London in size. By 1900, largely as a result of the Industrial Revolution, only one of the biggest was Asian; the rest were European or American.
In 1515 a decree of Sultan Selim I had threatened with death anyone found using the printing press.36 This failure to reconcile Islam with scientific progress was to prove disastrous. Having once provided European scholars with ideas and inspiration, Muslim scientists were now cut off from the latest research. If the Scientific Revolution was generated by a network, then the Ottoman Empire was effectively offline.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
In 1515 a decree of Sultan Selim I had threatened with death anyone found using the printing press.36 This failure to reconcile Islam with scientific progress was to prove disastrous. Having once provided European scholars with ideas and inspiration, Muslim scientists were now cut off from the latest research. If the Scientific Revolution was generated by a network, then the Ottoman Empire was effectively offline.
My generation feels like it's the lucky one,' she told me one night. 'Our grandparents had the Great Leap Forward, our parents had the Cultural Revolution. But we get to study, to travel, to make money. So I guess we really don't think that much about the Square thing.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
My generation feels like it's the lucky one,' she told me one night. 'Our grandparents had the Great Leap Forward, our parents had the Cultural Revolution. But we get to study, to travel, to make money. So I guess we really don't think that much about the Square thing.
The Japan in which Hiro-Hito reached adulthood was a country that admired the West for his modernity while resenting against him for his arrogance. It seemed that, to be treated as an equal, Japan would also have to acquire the last of Western accessories: an empire.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
The Japan in which Hiro-Hito reached adulthood was a country that admired the West for his modernity while resenting against him for his arrogance. It seemed that, to be treated as an equal, Japan would also have to acquire the last of Western accessories: an empire.
Instead of coaligating in an impoverished mass, the proletariat was subdivided between qualified "workers' aristocracies" and a vicious lumopenproletarian. The first preferred strikes and collective bargaining to the revolution {...}, the second preferred the gin.
Niall Ferguson Civilization: The West...
Instead of coaligating in an impoverished mass, the proletariat was subdivided between qualified "workers' aristocracies" and a vicious lumopenproletarian. The first preferred strikes and collective bargaining to the revolution {...}, the second preferred the gin.
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Whatever your problems may be, they pale in insignificance in the light of eternity. No matter how great your failures, God's grace is greater still. Lift up your heart and face life head-on.
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Plato dramatically puts the detachment of the philosopher from his time this way: to philosophize is to prepare to die.
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Plato dramatically puts the detachment of the philosopher from his time this way: to philosophize is to prepare to die.
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If there is such a thing as philosophical progress, then why – unlike scientific progress – is it so invisible? Philosophical progress is invisible because it is incorporated into our points of view. What was torturously secured by complex argument comes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance.
Rebecca Goldstein Plato at the Googleplex:...
If there is such a thing as philosophical progress, then why – unlike scientific progress – is it so invisible? Philosophical progress is invisible because it is incorporated into our points of view. What was torturously secured by complex argument comes widely shared intuition, so obvious that we forget its provenance.
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