Discussion: The Evolution of Civilizations: An Introduction to Historical Analysis

Author: Carroll Quigley

Description: Carroll Quigley’s The Evolution of Civilizations offers an in-depth examination of the factors driving the rise and fall of civilizations. Drawing from his expertise as a legendary Georgetown professor, Quigley applies the scientific method to social sciences, proposing a framework that divides culture into six levels, from abstract to concrete. He tests his historical hypotheses by analyzing five major civilizations: Mesopotamian, Canaanite, Minoan, classical, and Western. Quigley defines civilization as a “producing society with an instrument of expansion” and argues that a civilization’s decline happens when its expansionary instrument becomes a rigid institution, serving its own purposes rather than meeting societal needs.

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