Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress by Lawrence E Harrison (PDF)

Description

Prominent scholars and journalists ponder the question of why, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, the world is more divided than ever between the rich and the poor, between those living in freedom and those under oppression.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “A fascinating book.” — Lance Morrow Time”In exposing the tangle of causality and processes that link culture and economics, these essays put the debate on a constructive path.” — Foreign Affairs”Offers hope of an important countercurrent to today’s received wisdom about poverty and the fate of ethnic minorities.” — Tamar Jacoby Wall Street Journal About the Author Lawrence E. Harrison is a senior fellow at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and the author of Who Prospers? and The Pan-American Dream. Samuel P. Huntington is the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor of Government at Harvard University and the author of The Clash of Civilizations and The Remaking of the World Order.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This collection of essays resulting from a 2000 (?) symposium at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University is still relevant and well worth reading. It is a healthy antidote against the belief that “appropriate economic policy effectively implemented will produce the same results without reference to culture.” (Lawrence Harrison). The authors contend that “culture is the mother; institutions are the children.” (Again Lawrence Harrison as an appropriate answer to Acemoglu/Robinson ” Why Nations Fail”.) Stace Lindsay writes: “…culture shapes individuals’ thoughts about risks, reward, and opportunity.” But it is difficult to determine causalities. Orlando Patterson therefore points out: ” I think culture does make a difference. But it is very hard to determine, what in culture makes the difference…” There is much food for thought and it will not come as a surprise that the quality of the essays varies. I found Richard Shweder’s essay particularly interesting. Just two quotes: “I believe that all the good things in life can’t be simultaneously maximized. I believe that when it comes to implementing true values there are always trade-offs, which is why there are different traditions of values (i.e., cultures) and why no one cultural tradition has ever been able to honor everything that is good.” and “If it should turn out as an empirical generalization that economic growth can be pulled off relying only on the shallow or thin aspects of Western society (e.g., weapons, information technology, Visa cards), then cultures won’t converge, even as they get rich. If economic growth is contingent on accepting the deep or thick aspects of Western culture (e.g., individualism, ideals of femininity, egalitarianism, the Bill of Rights), then cultures will not converge and will not develop economically because their sense of identity will supersede their desire for material wealth.” Read yourself and form your own opinion – it’s worth it!

⭐Good book,

⭐I just started reading the book and I finished the Culture and Economics section. This book is a collection of essays by prominent sociologists and economists written in an easy to understand language (except for some sections in one essay where the authors wants to foist technical terms on you to impress or cajole you into seeing things their way but you will know and identify such people and make your own judgements about what they have to say) and it presents both point of views (the extremes as well as the middle ground).Although there is one bad thing about the book (you cannot tell clearly which author will argue which side until you are in the middle of the essay : this is particularly the case with people who wish to state that Culture Does NOT Matter. They almost sneak up their arguments on you and beat around the bush for pages before getting there; which probably reflects on their essays).If anything, reading this book has told me A LOT about every manner of culture including African and Latin American cultures. These are deep insights that only an observant student of that culture can deduce. It is enlightening to read them at times while at other times you go “Ok, so these people have problems, maybe I can do something about it, maybe I may not, but I would like to know more about the culture good and bad, and particularly the parts that every culture tries to hide or gloss over”.This book is a good read for all future politicians, economists, businessmen and anyone who is curious about how to interact with various cultures and what are the motivations behind the actions of various cultures. Fabulous, simply fabulous. What is amazing is the media attention a book like Guns, Germs and Steel received as opposed to this book which is simply sublime. I read passages of it to everyone I know.

⭐The book is a collection of essays on “culture.” I am not giving away the book if I tell you that the punch line:is “do you know how many anthropologists it takes to get a pound of brains?” — This old joke (usually about lawyers) is rehashed in an article by Richard Shweder that takes an opposing view to most of the articles in the book. Though most of the essays start with the premise that it is better to be rich and healthy than it is to be sick and poor, Richard Shweder represents a huge segment of people who oppose change in any form. Having an essay such as this in the book gives it depth, because his view is a common one that cannot be ignored.Most of the other authors look for ways that we can emperically evaluate and define our intuitions about culture. They dare to ask the question: is it possible that some cultural choices could lead to groups of people being mired in poverty, while others lead to greater health and happiness?Most of them address the subjectivity of what they are studying, but they often come up with very satisfying discussions.The book has wonderful discussions of Africa, Latin America, the role of women in various societies and other sociological information. It addresses foursquare the questions of post-modernist cultural relativism, including, as I mentioned, both sides of the discussion.

⭐Great

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