Page 264 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol V

western civilization 2041

Aristotle may be regarded as the cultural barometer of Western history.Whenever
his influence dominated the scene, it paved the way for one of history’s brilliant
eras; whenever it fell, so did mankind. • Ayn Rand (1905–1982)

increasingly difficult. The draining of wetlands damages
the environment, and people are trying to limit how Weapons
much can be drained. Industrial populations are vora-
cious users of water (for toilets, manufacturing, irrigation, See Firearms; Military Strategy and Tactics; Warfare,
recreation, etc.), and thus pressure to limit the amount of Land; Warfare, Naval
water that farmers can use is growing. Multiple uses of
sweet water (for navigation, recreation, biological diver-
sity) grow in number and in intensity. No clear way exists
to solve the water problems that occur in nearly every Western
nation. One technical solution is to increase the efficiency
of our water use, and science will be crucial in that solu- Civilization
tion. However, the problems are not just technical ones
—the beliefs and expectations of the consumers of water estern civilization is an historical concept with a
are also relevant and far less understood than are the Wrecent origin and quite uncertain future. In many
properties of dirt, plants, and water. ways, the term became a secular equivalent to Latin
Christendom in the United States, but the term never
Robert C. Hunt
took firm hold in Europe itself, where national differences
loomed too large.
Further Reading The word civilization entered English from the French
Adams, R. M. (1966). The evolution of urban society: Early Mesopotamia in the late eighteenth century, and initially meant polite
and prehispanic Mexico. Chicago: Aldine. behavior, just as it did in French. Manners that permitted
Butzer, K.W. (1976). Early hydraulic civilization in Egypt:A study in cul-
tural ecology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. a person to find his or her proper place in polite society
Childe, V. G. (1951). Man makes himself. New York: New American was what civilization referred to.That meant using words
Library. and gestures to defer to superiors, snub inferiors, and
Denham,T. P., Haberle, S. G., Lentfer, C., Fullagar, R., Field, J.,Therin,
M., Porch, N., & Winsborough, B. (2003). Origins of agriculture at climb as high as one could by peaceable means. Bearing,
Kuk swamp in the highlands of New Guinea. Science, 301, 189–193. conversation, and clothing all mattered; so did wealth;
Doolittle, W. E., Jr. (1990). Canal irrigation in prehistoric Mexico: The
sequence of technological change. Austin: University of Texas Press. and familiarity with art, literature, and music also helped
Gumerman, G. (Ed.). (1991). Exploring the Hohokam: Prehistoric desert to improve a person’s claim to be civilized. It differed
peoples of the American Southwest. Albuquerque: University of New from older courtly ideals inasmuch as no monarch set the
Mexico Press.
Hall,A. R., & Smith, N. (Eds.). (1976). History of technology:Vol. 1. From tone or conferred formal rank. Civilization instead was an
early times to fall of ancient empires. London: Mansell. urban upper class phenomenon whose exact definition
Helms, S.W. (1981). Jawa, lost city of the desert. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Uni-
versity Press. evolved in accordance with prevailing opinions among
Hills, R. L. (1994). Power from wind: A history of windmill technology. those who participated in polite society.
Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. To begin with, such behavior was conceived as poten-
Hunt, R. C. (2002). Irrigated farming. In J. Mokyr (Ed.), Oxford ency-
clopedia of economic history (Vol. 3, pp. 165–168). Oxford, UK: tially universal.To be sure, civilization was most perfectly
Oxford University Press. expressed in Parisian drawing rooms, theaters, and other
Scarborough,V. L. (2003). The flow of power: Ancient water systems and
landscapes. Santa Fe, NM: School of American Research. public places, with London a close rival. But privileged
Service, E. R. (1975). Origins of the state and civilization:The process of urban circles in Germany, Russia, and other European
cultural evolution. New York: W.W. Norton. countries did their best to imitate French manners, often
Wikander, O. (Ed.). (2000). Handbook of ancient water technology. Lei-
den, the Netherlands: Brill. going so far as to read and speak French and import the
Wilkinson,T. J. (2003). Archaeological landscapes of the Near East. Tuc- latest fashions from Paris.This sort of “civilization,” how-
son: University of Arizona Press.
Wittfogel, K. (1957). Oriental despotism. New Haven, CT: Yale Univer- ever contagious it proved to be, was limited to narrow
sity Press. elites, even within France itself. Even before the eighteenth