Customer Reviews

Conquests And Cultures: An International History

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a remarkably thorough, well-researched work on major regions and civilizations around the world -- African, Aztec, Inca, Slav, (bative) American Indian. Sowell documents the case of how geography (harbors, arable land, navigable rivers, freedom from monsoons and tropical disease) and ideas (fundamental beliefs and principles widely shared or disseminated) combine to make the world what it is today.

"Culture" triumphs if it is sustainable and based on a credible concept that can be embraced by others. Other "cultures" fail or disappear when they are conquered by more dominant cultures or collapse from within due to a fundamental weakness or failure to transmit the culture across people and generations.

Much like David Landes' "Wealth and poverty of nations", Sowell shows that societies or cultures that can produce things of value, that educate their young, that innovate, and that encourage personal freedom, initiative, private ownership and advancement based on merit, these cultures are more likely to survive.

Sowell dispels myths about racism, diversity and the equality of all cultures. His research is encyclopedic and well-documented.

An excellent book for a university course on culture, diversity and global development.

It's always delightful to read cogent, well-thought-out and carefully written books. This is no exception, as Dr. Sowell continues to apply a broad education and extensive experience to derive insights that, once made, are startlingly clear and obvious.

Unlike several of the prior reviewers, who seem to feel that their unworkable personal ideology or limited ability to think actually have relevance in a review, I read this book to gain information and insights supported by impeccable research from an intelligent source. It may offend those with little or no education or experience, because it does not run along the same track as their favorite hobby horse(s), but then, reality and truth rarely do. (i.e., if you don't like accurate statistics, nor agree with a sequenced and relevant protrayal of factual information, don't read this book. It might upset any sense of "oughta be this way", or "I wanna believe X -- in contrast to actual events").

Dr. Sowell's insistence on his statements having a factual basis and extensive examples to support his conclusions can be daunting, nonetheless, as with any exercise (mental or physical, for that matter), the more effort you put into something, the greater the result.

Highly recommended, as are all of his books.

In Thomas Sowell's preface to this book he writes "what matters ultimately is not what themes and conclusions are proposed here, but the facts behind those themes and conclusions." Those facts are presented in "Conquests and Cultures" in a logical, unmanipulative, and engaging way. They are often not very well known, but critical to those people who want to develop and support arguments about the causes and consequences of the social and economic differences between cultural groups. Sowell, of course, presents not only information but analysis of this information, which in turn leads him to conclusions. Many of these conclusions do attack traditionally held left-wing opinions. A few attack right-wing ones. All are very well argued and deserve serious consideration. However, regardless of whether the conclusions are convincing are not, the objective information presented while trying to prove them still stands. Moreover, Sowell is scrupulous about clearly indicating what is fact and what is opinion. As a result, this book is invaluable to all people who want to be fair-minded, knowledgable, and persuasive when discussing issues of cultural assimilation and isolation, of inter-racial interaction, of economic gaps between different groups, and of the past and present situation of developing countries in Eastern-Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa.

I can't think of anything that I've read like it before or since.

Essentially, it does the job of filling in some of the details about what happened after some of the conquests of one group by another. It was not a text that evaluated whether conquests were "good" or "bad," but about the actual results of what happened. For example: He details at some length the differing responses to colonization of Irish and Scottish people (the former didn't take to it well while the latter did). This is something that goes a long way to explaining why Ireland became a separate country and Scotland stayed part of the Kingdom.

It was well worth reading because it gave CONCRETE information about what actually happened in many of these cases rather than babbling about "colonial powers" or "rights of self determination."

This book has several threads that interact.
One is that the geography of a country has a strong effect on its history. The western hemisphere did not have beasts of burden until Europeans arrived and therefore stayed in a primitive culture. England had iron ore near coal and both near the seacoast which provided cheap transportation.
Another thread is that some cultures learn from contact with other cultures and some do not. Scotland was invaded by England and when the English left Scotland outclassed the English in engineering and medicine even thought they were behind in the beginning. Earlier the Romans invaded England and improved conditions. When the Romans left the English retrograded for centuries.
Another thread is that human nature is the same all over the earth. All nations have dominated other nations and mistreated them.

Despite their best efforts, those who reviewed this book negatively or dismissed it as "been there, done that" expose that either their own preconceived notions ran afoul with Sowell's book. Or, their sacred cows were stripped down to expose the cheap hamburger of ideas.
As usual Sowell writes another well-crafted, researched, and documented book. He makes NO conclusions but rather, lets his reader form their own conclusions.
As evidenced by the fact that none of the so called "Politically Incorrect" panel shows NEVER invited Sowell on because no one on the left can counter Sowell's ease of analysis and myth-shattering and that includes lofty lefties like Hitchens, Chomsky, Schlesinger, and Cockburn...so goes the list of those who rail at the idea of a free-thinking minority having the audacity to stray from the Liberal Plantation (Not that Sowell was ever on the plantation in the first place).

A good measured read with plenty to challenge the reader (who doesn't wear idealogical blinders). A good book to add to your library.

A lucid, enjoyable book that presents a plausible thesis of how cultures advance. Cultures are not museum displays presented for our amusement, but dynamic systems that must either work or fail. The assesment of the utility of a culture can be seen in the well being of the people in that culture. This book makes sense.

Why do some societies advance and succeed, while others stagnate? While Europe created great mercantile empires and scientific advances, Africa and the Americas never advanced beyond a primitive level. Sowell's insight and intellect (he holds a PhD in Economics, and is a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institute) come to the fore in this well researched and presented argument that successful societies are the products of a combination of geography, history, and "accrued cultural capital". From the Roman conquest of Britain to the European colonization of Africa and the New World, from the Chinese to the Mayans, cultural clashes throughout history have influenced the course of social development, sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better. It's often too easy to blame European exploitation for the ills of the third world. Sowell shows that, more often than not, colonialism cost the colonizing power more than it received. This book should be required reading for students of history, sociology, and economics.

Good reading, good sense and yet provocative. History in a palatable serving. It makes sense and ties together the major events of history and cultures based on real events. Wish this type of reading material had been available years ago. Do yourself and any students in your life a favor by having this book available as a reference source. Helps to understand modern day politics by providing references to historical background. Dr. Sowell helps his readers to cut through the misguiding romantic fantacies with real life events and history. No political agenda here. Worth the price of purchase many times over. Do it. Buy it.

I love thomas Sowell's books. Whatever he tells he tells it fascinatingly, if he mentions it it's because its relevant, it's something to make you think, and what is more important in a writer: he makes you look at things from a new perspective. Not here, though. This book is huge in scope but... what the point? He tells us, in parallel, the devolpment of different cultures and civilizations of the world, to compare them. But comparison alone doesn't do the trick when you have to go through so much data and so many pages. I felt tempted to skip the whole thing and go to the conclusion, but even here it is not a conclusion... it's a summary of it all.

I don't want to discourage readers, though, because Mr sowell is one of the finest thinkers in the planet. He's got his feet on the ground as a true great conservative man he is.