Why the West Rules - For Now

In this book, Ian Morris explores 50,000 years of human history to understand why the West has come to dominate the world.

He argues that it is not differences in race, culture, or individual achievements that explain Western dominance, but rather the effects of geography on the everyday efforts of ordinary people.

Morris uses a four-factor analytical tool—energy capture, urbanization, information technology, and war-making capacity—to measure social development in both the East and West.

He concludes that geography explains regional differences and predicts significant changes in global power dynamics in the coming centuries due to ongoing interactions between geography and human ingenuity.