The Greatness of Western Civilization

Part of the point of "Civilization" is to defend the greatness of Western Civilization against many of those who would criticize it for its errors. Despite the many mistakes that Western nations have made over the last three centuries, they effectively discovered six important resources that have not only benefit citizens of Western nations but that are increasingly benefiting all of humanity.

As indicated elsewhere in the guide, these six "apps" are: competition, science, modern medicine, property, consumerism and the work ethic. Competition arose from the relatively small size of Western nation-states and the more individualistic focus of many of its greatest minds, creating an incentive for nations, explorers, inventors to compete with one another. Science enabled the application of this energy to move ahead and to reinforce itself with new discoveries. Modern medicine was one of the most important fruits of Western science...