Why Has the West Been So Successful? | 5 Minute Video

The Western world has produced some of the most prosperous and most free civilizations on earth. What makes the West exceptional? Ben Shapiro, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire and author of “The Right Side of History,” explains that the twin pillars of revelation and reason — emanating from ancient Jerusalem and Athens — form the bedrock for Western civilization's unprecedented success.

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Script:

Western civilization. It’s been around for a while, but suddenly everybody is talking about it. Some are anxious to save it; others are happy to see it go.

But what exactly is Western civilization?

Is it the great cathedrals of Europe or the Nazi concentration camps? Is it the freedoms secured in the US Constitution or chattel slavery? Life-saving medicines or poison gas?

The left likes to focus on the bad—genocide, slavery, environmental destruction. But those have been present in every civilization from time immemorial.

The positives are unique to the West—religious tolerance, abolition of slavery, universal human rights, the development of the scientific method: these are accomplishments of a scope and scale that only the West can claim.

These aren’t the only achievements that make the West special and uniquely successful. As Western thought evolved, it secured the rights of women and minorities, lifted billions of people out of poverty, and invented most of the modern world.

Progress hasn’t been a straight line, of course. But the arc of history is clear. The obvious proof is that the world is overwhelmingly Western. And, with few exceptions, those parts of the world that aren’t aspire to be.

Why? Why has Western civilization been so successful?

There are many reasons, but the best place to start is with the teachings and philosophies that emerged from two ancient cities: Jerusalem and Athens.

Jerusalem represents religious revelation as manifested in the Judeo-Christian tradition: the beliefs that a good God created an ordered universe and that this God demands moral behavior from His paramount creation, man.

The other city, Athens, represents reason and logic as expressed by the great Greek thinkers Plato and Aristotle and many others.

These two ways of thinking—revelation and reason—live in constant tension.

Judeo-Christian religion posits that there are certain fundamental truths handed down to us by a transcendent being. We didn’t invent these truths; we received them from God. The rules He lays down for us are vital for building a functioning, moral civilization and for leading a happy life.

Greek thinking posits that we only know truth by what we observe, test, and measure. It is not faith, but fact, that drives our understanding and exploration of the universe.

Western civilization, and only Western civilization, has found a way to balance both religious belief and human reason.

Here’s how the balance works.

The Judeo-Christian tradition teaches that God created an ordered universe, and that we have an obligation to try to make the world better. This offers us purpose and suggests that history moves forward. Most pagan religions taught the opposite: that the universe is illogical and random, and that history is cyclical. History just endlessly repeats itself—in which case, why bother to innovate or create anything new?

[stefan]

This is the slowest I've heard Ben Shapiro talked.

[bronson]

It must be killing him to talk so slowly lol

[jetadam]

I think he was talking at normal speed and they just slowed it down. Try replying it on 1.25x. It feels right!!!

[brokensilence]

"Religious tolerance is unique to the West."

This is blatantly wrong. Genghis Khan, a Mongolian emperor, practiced religious tolerance when Europe was still doing the crusades. Quoting Wikipedia:

"The Mongol Empire practiced religious tolerance because Mongol tradition had long held that religion was a personal concept, and not subject to law or interference. Sometime before the rise of Genghis Khan, Ong Khan, his mentor and eventual rival, had converted to Nestorian Christianity. Various Mongol tribes were Shamanist, Buddhist or Christian. Religious tolerance was thus a well established concept on the Asian steppe."

He was a genocidal warlord, but he couldn't give less of a shit what god you worshiped.

But then again, vague assertions made without any evidence are sorta PragerU's bread and butter.

[crimsonstang]

Hint: play at 1.25x speed for it to sound like normal Shapiro.

[tnwomdn]

Ben Shapiro on PragerU, the best crossover ever
Also the left saying something is anti semitic then turning around and supporting Palestine then letting in. Muslim anti-Jewish immigrants

[spaghettimeatballs]

While I agree with most points of this video I’m inclined to disagree with some points. First of all, abolition of slavery was never uniquely western. Ancient China, Ancient Persia, and Ancient India didn’t even have slaves at all, while Europe only abolished slavery as recently as the 1800s, while the cultures I mentioned above were around from 2200 BC for China, 500 BC for Persia’s Achaemenid Empire, and 200 BC for India’s Mauryan Empire and 400 AD for India’s Gupta Empire. Furthermore religious tolerance also isn’t uniquely western. Ancient Persia once again valued all religions and allowed for religious tolerance before any European Empire, and Religious wars actually never occurred at all in the East. Buddhism spread throughout Asia by peace, and Buddhism never got rid of Shintoism or Taoism, it coexisted with them. Compare that to the spread of Christianity and Islam, both of which spread predominantly through conquest and violence, and completely replaced the native religions. Furthermore, universal human rights also started in ancient Persia’s Achaemenid Empire with the Cyrus Cylinder which stated all people and cultures are considered equal in the empire. Also, India’s Gupta empire outlawed torture and executions in 400 AD, and China’s Song Dynasty in the 1100s was pretty much a socialist democracy, with free hospitals and free schools and free retirement homes for the elderly, and the Emperor was more like a president. However I do agree that the West invented the scientific method, but what I don’t agree with is that only the west did science. Also you mention that the world is overwhelmingly western which is true, but it’s not overwhelmingly western because of peace, it’s overwhelmingly western because the west conquered and subjugated pretty much every non western country, except for those that westernized themselves. Also, the west was definitely not the only civilization to balance religion and reason. In ancient India and China various scientific discoveries were made, science flourished, and various inventions were made despite the society being overwhelmingly religious. This proves that science and religion have been coexisting in Ancient China and India for a long time. I’m saying this stuff because it seems you only acknowledge the bad things non Western civilization does while completely ignoring the good it does, basically like what the left does but reversed. Also, all of this great stuff western civ does is very recent, and as recent as the 1920s. You really think Europe in the 1600s valued equality, democracy, and freedom? Not at all. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike western civilization at all, and I’m very grateful about all Western civilization has created. However, I’m also grateful about what Eastern civilization has created, and it’s best to acknowledge the greatness of both Eastern and Western Civilization!

[ryanmoses]

Pagans had no reason to innovate
Greeks: We invented the modern basis of astronomy and legal systems
Romans: We made aqueducts and other architectural feats.
Nords: We invented advanced ocean travel and found America before Colombus

[ddiesel]

im Asian but Western Civilization to me was the greatest thing that happened to human civilization

[Connor.SG-Ring]

I'm Asian and I appreciate what Western Civilization has accomplished and contributed to the rest of world, and it definitely worth preserving.

[sagessm]

I don't know if you guys consider the MUSLIM Ottoman Empire a "western civilization", but they tolerated other religions in their state. And I'm saying this as a Serb, whose people were occupied for hundreds of years by them. And do you know what the Christians of Europe were doing while the Ottomans were accepting Jews and religiously oppressed people? Fighting amongst themselves over whether or not the Bible should be translated and committing horrendous atrocities, forcing their people to suffer in war (the worst being the Thirty Years War, which depopulated most of Germany). One of your four key things that the West accomplished wasn't actually a Western accomplishment.

[EdginLegend]

We have the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution, Greek philosophy, Roman government, Judeo-Christian theology/morals, the Industrial Revolution, democracy, free market capitalism, and much much more. I am proud of my heritage, upbringings, values instilled in me, my roots, and ancestry.

[ecocconi]

had to play it at 1.25 the speed for consistency

[FaridCG]

I am from Azerbaijan and I think that West is great

[beresattila]

You missed the third one, Rome and the practical implementation

[Sharifkhan]

Hope that western civilization survives and thrives...Love from an atheist of a third world country Bangladesh.♥

[elmartillo]

I'm an Atheist, and I like Ben Shapiro because he is an intelligent person who doesn't push his beliefs on others, and can disagree with someone and still respect them

[thepaleohunter]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard speech so clearly.

[m.cproductions]

I like how he acknowledged that Muslim Countries were leading forces in the world, until parts of the Muslim world rejected Greek-Reason and Republicannism (Rule of Law, not the American Party's philosophy). Reason, Law, Order and Morality are what allows civilisation to remain stable, and progress into the future.

[brendan]

Put it at 1.25 speed. That’s Ben’s normal voice