《文明的度量》内容简介

　　几百年来，世界都由西方所主宰，人们也一直就西方为什么能够拥有如此巨大的权力而争论不休。如果说是文明决定了这一切，文明又该如何定义，如何衡量？更重要的是，文明将如何决定21世纪世界的走向？

　　这本书正是为回答这些问题而作。

　　在本书中，全球知名历史学家伊恩·莫里斯呈现了支持《西方将主宰多久》一书论断的分析过程。他跨越16000年的人类文明史，以一系列可靠的考古证据、历史数据、现代社会数据，设计了能够量化文明的“社会发展指数”，就能量获取、社会组织能力、战争能力、信息技术这四大方面，为不同时间、空间的东西方文明打分，对决定经济和社会发展趋势的诸多因素进行定量描述，以此追寻世界文明的过去、现在和未来。

　　在本书结尾，莫里斯的数据和故事向我们呈现了一个令人惊讶的预测：东方的社会发展状况将在2103年赶超西方。

　　不论是对关心当代中国发展，还是明日世界轨迹的读者来说，这本书的分析思路和预测，都将成为真实未来的有力指导。

　　作者简介

　　[美] 伊恩·莫里斯

　　全球知名历史学家、考古学家，美国斯坦福大学古典学教授，英国国家学术院院士，伦敦政治经济学院IDEAS智库高级研究员。曾任斯坦福大学古典学系系主任、考古中心负责人、人文与科学学院高级副院长。

　　他的学术生涯始于研究希腊城邦的崛起，随后转向古代经济学，目前主要研究冰期以来的全球历史。曾在英国、希腊和意大利进行考古挖掘工作，并主持斯坦福大学在意大利蒙特帕里卓的考古挖掘。

　　已出版《西方将主宰多久》《文明的度量》《战争》《历史的偏见》《地理即命运》《希腊人》等14部著作，其中《西方将主宰多久》已被翻译成13种文字，并入选《经济学人》2010年度图书、《纽约时报》2011年度杰出图书，入围2011年英国奥威尔图书奖。

The Measure of Civilization is a brief introduction

For centuries, the world has been dominated by the West, and people have debated why the West has so much power. If civilization determines all this, how should civilization be defined and measured? More importantly, how will civilization determine the course of the world in the 21st century?

This book is designed to answer these questions.

In this book, world-renowned historian Ian Morris presents the analytical process that underpins How Long the West Will Dominate. Based on a series of reliable archaeological evidence, historical data, and modern social data, he designed a "social development index" that can quantify civilizations. In terms of energy acquisition, social organization ability, war ability, and information technology, he scored Eastern and Western civilizations at different times and Spaces. A quantitative description of the many factors that determine economic and social trends in order to trace the past, present and future of world civilization.

At the end of the book, Morris's data and stories present us with a surprising prediction: the social development of the East will overtake that of the West by 2103.

For readers interested in the development of contemporary China and the trajectory of tomorrow's world, the book's analytical thinking and predictions will serve as a powerful guide to the real future.

About the author

Ian Morris

He is a world-renowned historian and archaeologist, professor of Classics at Stanford University, Academician of the British National Academy, and senior fellow at the IDEAS think tank of the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was chairman of the Classics Department, director of the Center for Archaeology, and senior associate Dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University.

He began his academic career studying the rise of the Greek city-states before turning to ancient economics and currently focuses on global history since the Ice Age. He has conducted archaeological excavations in the United Kingdom, Greece, and Italy, and directed the Stanford University excavation in Monteparietro, Italy.

He has published 14 books including "How Long Will the West Dominate", "The Measure of Civilization", "War", "The Bias of History", "Geography is Destiny" and "The Greeks", among which "How Long Will the West Dominate" has been translated into 13 languages and selected as the Economist's 2010 Book of the Year and the New York Times's 2011 Outstanding Book of the Year. Shortlisted for the Orwell Book Prize 2011.