THE IMPULSE THAT CREATED THE MODERN WORLD

Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques & Discoveries of the English Nation
by Richard Hakluyt
448 pages

Reviewed by Colin Liddell

History is best not written by historians. In particular, I mean the present-day academic types who always have some politically correct axe to grind, or new theory purposely designed to shock and distort for the sole purpose of making a name for themselves.

DID COLONIZATION CAUSE THE GREAT DIVERGENCE?

by Siryako Akda

The following article was originally written as a comment to the Google Hangout that featured Colin and Andy. I ended up writing more than I intended, so I thought I might as well post this as a full article.

The purpose of this article is to argue against the thesis that the discovery and subsequent colonization of the New World is what caused the Great Divergence, which ultimately led to the industrialization of Western Europe and the rise of the Modern World. In contrast to this theory, I would argue that the Great Divergence was already well underway during the high and late middle ages when Western European countries were experiencing a period of steady and sustained growth in technological and economic development.

WHY RE-COLONIZATION? FUTURE ORIENTATION

Europeans brought order to Africa, something that Africans can only get now by coming to Europe.

by M.G. Miles

At independence, 50 years ago, optimism for the tropics was high. No one could have dreamed that half a century later, a massive movement for re-colonization would be afoot – led not by Africa's leaders but by her masses.

We have looked at some of the reasons that the global South wants into Teutonic countries. But the real appeal is broader. Globally, tropical peoples are trying to migrate to lands run by temperate peoples.

THE BLACK BASELINE

by Colin Liddell

Sub-Saharan Africans are the fastest-growing demographic on the planet. With a fertility rate over three times as high as European women (5.2 children per woman to 1.6) that shows few signs of decreasing, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is projected to more than double, rising from 1.1 billion to 2.4 billion by mid-century.

REVIEW OF STEVEN PINKER'S "THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE"

The Better Angels of Our Nature
Steven Pinker, 1028 pages
Available for purchase from Amazon here

Reviewed by Foseti

I started this book 99.5% sure violence had declined over time. I finished it 65% sure violence had declined over time and 100% sure that Steven Pinker needs a more aggressive editor.

Everyone liked this book, but it rubbed me the wrong way. It’s also really long.

Here’s a basic summary. The book covers six trends that reduce violence: 1) the move to “agricultural civilizations;” 2) the rise of central authorities that dominate significant territories; 3) the humanitarian revolution; 4) the “Long Peace” following WWII; 5) the decline in organized conflicts more broadly; 6) the growth of the human rights movement.

Five historical forces are added to these trends to complete the explanation of the declining violence: 1) the leviathan; 2) commerce; 3) feminization; 4) cosmopolitanism; and 5) the rise of reason.

Once he lays these ideas, we begin a very long (seriously, it’s really long) analysis of just how violent old civilizations were.

I’m going to cut the BS right here. If you want to read some analyses of the good points of the book and how smart Pinker is, you can find such analyses all over the internet. I’m just going to tell you what’s wrong with this book and Pinker’s thesis that violence has declined over time. The fact that I’m only focusing on the bad should not be taken to mean that I thought the book was all bad – it definitely has some good portions and some very solid arguments.

RETHINKING COLONIALISM

by Siryako Akda

The subject of European Colonialism is arguably one of the most important historical topics in the modern world, because it is heavily intertwined with contemporary issues of morality, globalism, indigenism, religion, economics, ethics, etc. Whatever your opinions may be about it, European Colonialism is clearly one of the most important epochs in human history and still very relevant.

VERMINOCRACY

by Colin Liddell

Nature abhors a vacuum, and will often work overtime and at the weekends to fill one. In political and civilizational terms several vacuums seem to have opened up recently. We can only imagine what new-fangled entities will be called forth to occupy them.

For example, what will replace the vast, perennially gaping hole that seems to exist in Continental Europe? The tottering Eurozone is just the latest in a succession of weird and outlandish political entities, ideologies, and 'solutions' that have tried and failed to fill that particular void over the last 2000 years. On past records, the restoration of the Holy Roman Empire looks like the best bet for stability, so Franz Joseph the XXVIIth, or whatever his name will be, has got my vote.