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02/17/2008: "The Faustian Roots of Western Culture"
In The Geography of Thought, a study of the Western and Asian mindsets, the cognitive scientist Richard E. Nisbett addresses the reasons for these differences in innovation. Nisbett believes whites are motivated by a desire to discover the truth, whereas Asians desire harmony above all things. Consequently, the West is a culture of debate, and Asia , one of consensus. This fundamental difference can be seen at the origins of Western and Chinese culture, as represented by the philosophy of the ancient Greeks and that of Confucianism and Taoism.
The Greek philosophers investigated not only the truth about the natural and the human worlds, but also the moral truth. They debated whether the best state was a democracy, a republic, an oligarchy, or a dictatorship, and whether morality had a transcendental basis or was merely a means for man to dominate man.
[ I don't know whether it's the best way, but I like our way. It leaves us open to parasites, so we need stricter defenses than most. ]
http://inverted-world.com/index.php/articles/articles/what_is_the_west_part_ii/