Quotations “First, if you had to ask one single, key question that could determine the future of the globe, it may well be “Can Asians think?” (p. 24)“Against this backdrop, it would have been sheer folly to predict at the time that in the second millennium Chinese, Indian and Islamic civilizations would slip into the backwaters of history while Europe would rise to be the first civilization ever to dominate the entire globe. But that, of course, is precisely what happened.” (p. 26)“As more and more Asians lift their lives, from levels of survival, they have the economic freedom to think, reflect, and rediscover their cultural heritage. There is a growing consciousness that their societies, like those in the West, have a rich social, cultural …show more content…
Around the time the article was published, 70% of the world consisted of Asians, and this percentage will increase to 90% by the year 2050. For so long, the development was dependent on the efforts of North America and Europe. The people of this continent will need to take the responsibility of making human civilization flourish. The 2nd point is the main argument for the “No” argument. During the 10th century, Asia was known for their discoveries in different fields such as science, technology, medicine, astronomy, and education while Europe was still in the Dark Ages. Fast forward to the 15th and 16th centuries, Asia, although past its peak, was still prosperous because of China’s effective administration and technological skill. Europe, on the other hand, was unproductive. Their land was barren, and many lands were occupied only by a small population. This all changed because of what is called the “European miracle.” Some key causes are the Renaissance movement, the Age of Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and colonization. Because of colonization, the Europeans ingrained the thinking that Asians were inferior to them which is still evident today in Asian societies. This miracle launched Europe to the forefront of the world’s civilization. In contrast, Asia’s development was stunted. Asia had many opportunities to put themselves in a good position to …show more content…
They deal with the economy, politics, security, and social systems. The future may look bright, but many factors are taken into consideration. The fifth point in this argument is different because it deals with the identity of Asia. Some claim that following Asian values cause financial disaster, but this cannot be proven because of the different cases during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Countries which were most democratized where hit the hardest. Meanwhile, those which were least affected had different political systems. Asia now faces the problem of fusing the best parts of both traditional Asian values and Western values in order to achieve progress. Both traditional and modern values are what make Asia unique. Asia’s culture is not something that is solely based on what came from Asian countries but also the West because they were a big part of our history. This blend of cultures is what makes Asia