Monday, June 4, 2012 | 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM
For the past five centuries, Western civilizations have prevailed around the world. More people have been influenced by Western food, clothing, medicine, government and religion worldwide than any other civilization. How did that happen? What led the West to be so influential and powerful? And how long will the West sustain its supremacy? As America approaches the 2012 presidential election in the midst of a geopolitical paradigm shift, acclaimed historian Niall Ferguson takes a timely look at the reasons behind West’s economic ascendancy and why the Eastern civilizations may now be taking the lead.About Niall Ferguson
Niall Ferguson, MA, D.Phil., is the Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University and the William Ziegler Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at Jesus College, Oxford University, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Dr. Ferguson has published many bestsellers including: Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power, Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire, High Financier, The Ascent of Money and, most recently, Civilization:The West and the Rest.
He is a regular contributor to television and radio, reviews regularly for the British and American press and is a contributing editor for the Financial Times. In 2004 Timemagazine named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people. He has been a member of the Museum of American Finance’s Board of Trustees since 2006.
About Civilization
From the producers of the International Emmy® Award-winning The Ascent of Money, Civilization: The West and the Rest with Niall Ferguson, a two-part series, premieres on Tuesdays, May 22 and 29, 2012, 8-10 p.m. (ET) on PBS. After broadcast, the series will stream online at thirteen.org. The documentary is presented by THIRTEEN in association with WNET, the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21, New York’s public television stations and operator of NJTV.
Accompanied by a major new book, Civilization: The West and the Rest(Penguin Press), the series explores the West’s epic and surprising rise to global dominance. Applying essential economic and political insights, Niall Ferguson identifies what he calls “the six killer applications” that “the Rest” lacked, but which enabled the West to become an economic and political superpower. However, no civilization lasts forever. And Ferguson speculates that perhaps “The Rest” can overtake the West by “downloading” and upgrading these “apps” too.
Presentation and viewing of film clip will be followed by Q&A, book signing and reception. Reservations required. Admission is free for students and Museum members, or $15 for non-members. For additional information, please contact Tempris Small at 212-908-4110 or tsmall@moaf.org.
Please note this event is sold out.