Part 1: The race toward barbarism
Western thinkers, many of whom cannot speak or read any non-Western language, are held back in their analysis of modern civilization by the assumption that modernity is an exclusive characteristic of the West. At a time when the sole superpower is resurrecting the practice of imposing national will by military might, Henry C K Liu examines this assumption in a series of articles.
(Jul 8, '03)

Part 2: That old time religion
Those who argue that modernity is a product of the West forget that its predominant religion, Christianity, endured centuries of ignorance and intolerance, and that enlightenment and innovation were long the domain of the world's two other major faiths, Islam and Buddhism. (Jul 10, '03)

Part 3: Rule of law vs Confucianism
The rule of law has been touted by Western scholars as a central aspect of modernity. According to that measure, since the rule of law was the basis of the first unification of China in the 2nd century BC, modernity occurred 23 centuries ago in China. (Jul 23, '03)

Part 4: Taoism and modernity
To Taoists, modernity is a meaningless concept because truth is timeless and life goes in circles. In post-modern thinking in the West, much of the awareness that Taoists have entertained for centuries is just now surfacing. (Jul 31, '03)

Part 5: The Enlightenment and modernity
The world has experienced many "periods" and "eras", the importance of which have depended on the observer's position in space and time. While the so-called Enlightenment was a European phenomenon whose brilliance is questionable, its consequences were far-flung, influencing even the spectacular successes and failures of "modern" Japan.(Aug 11, '03)

Part 6a: Imperialism as modernity
Imperialism is the extension of rule or dominance by one people over another, and it reached its climax under the Roman Empire. Neo-imperialism coincided with the rise of commercial capitalism in the 17th century, but the cataclysmic events of this "modern" period were marked at least as much by barbarism as by progress.(Oct 9, '03)

Part 6b: Imperialism and fragmentation
While Western Europe marched steadily toward integration, the non-Western world was, and continues to be, fragmented for easy exploitation in the name of national self-determination.  (Oct 10, '03)

Part 6c: Imperialism resisted
Indigenous attempts at modernization have throughout the past century been hijacked or derailed by outside interests, whether political, economic or religious. In the conclusion to this epic series, it is observed that history serves as a harsh lesson for non-Western cultures that wish to be modern as well as independent. (Oct 14, '03)