At a first approximation, barring serious childhood
malnutrition, all humans are more or less alike in their native abilities. As far as we know now intelligence, physical
strength, endurance, and other native abilities are distributed roughly the
same in all human populations. So why are some civilizations so much more
advanced than others? Why are some nations functioning reasonably well and
others are thoroughly dysfunctional? The answer is culture. Culture matters.
Culture consists of the world views, the assumptions (many
unspoken and even unconscious) the biases, the religious and political
expectations, the “way things are done” and the like that are laid in in
childhood and control a culture’s view of and response to the world throughout life.
Some cultures are trusting; some are not. It is pretty hard
to establish a vibrant market economy in today’s world if people don’t trust
one another at least to some degree. Tribal cultures are at a special disadvantage
here.
Some cultures are inclusive and some are not. Cultures that
limit the education and opportunities of a significant portion of their members
(for example, women) are at a serious disadvantage in the modern world, where
nations need all the good brains they can muster to compete in an advanced technological
world.
Some cultures waste enormous amounts of energy and scarce resources
on old hatreds (for example, Shia vs Sunni) and nursing past grudges. That
wasted energy and the resources wasted on killing and destruction put them at a
great disadvantage.
Some cultures are driven by religious fanaticism and/or
religious dogma, and controlled by (often fairly narrow-minded) authoritarian religious leaders, usually to
their detriment.
Some cultures are resistant to outside ideas, while some
cultures gratefully and gleefully absorb new and better ideas from any source. Those
resistant to new ideas are quickly left behind in today’s rapidly evolving world.
Some cultures instill a willingness to work hard; some don't. This makes a big difference.
Some cultures instill a willingness to work hard; some don't. This makes a big difference.
Some cultures prize knowledge and learning; some don’t. There is a good reason why Jews, who prize
learning, make up only 0.002% of the world’s population, but have been awarded
22% of the Nobel Prizes. There is a good reason why Asians, who prize learning,
are increasingly filling the top technical jobs in America.
It is these cultural differences, far more than any inherent
differences in native abilities, that explain why some groups do well in today’s
world and some don’t. It has been
fashionable in some quarters to argue that all cultures are equal; all are to
be equally appreciated and equally respected. Bollocks! Some cultures are simply more competitive in
today’s world, better adapted to the rapid pace of knowledge, better at marshaling
all their potential resources, better at putting their efforts where they most
matter for the long-term survival of the society. Natural selection operates
here as it does everywhere else in nature, which is why the better-fitted
societies are winning out and the less-fit societies are increasingly being
left behind.
We would do well to look at our own American society and
culture in this light. We are certainly doing better than a thoroughly dysfunctional
culture, such as for example Pakistan.
But is our national culture really as competitive as it could be? Do we,
for example, as a national culture really value learning as much as we should? Do we as a national culture really pay enough
attention to long-term goals as opposed to short-term goals? Have we, as a national culture, lost much of the work ethic of our immigrant ancestors? Do we, as a
national culture, pay enough attention to stewardship for future generations as
opposed to satisfying our whims of today?
It is an interesting question to ponder.
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