History / Historical look at various civilisational differences between Russia and the West [159]

Recently I came across this very interesting paper by Małgorzata Rudnik from Polish Naval Academy...

ojs.gsw.gda.pl/index.php/NiS/article/view/255/209

... it argues from historical point of view that, among other things:

- Russian civilisation is more traditional compared to the West that broke up with tradition in favour of liberal ideas and so-called modernity;

- the West faces a crisis of degenerate globalism and has lost its advantages and possibility of imposing its values on the rest of the world;

- Russian civilisation includes cultural artefacts that enable changing the world for the better.

The analysis starts from the Antiquity (the differences between Latin and Byzantine civilisations) and continues up to modern times, pointing to the 16th century Reformation as the genuine breaking point between Russia and the West. It also reminds us of Samuel Huntington's identification of key factors of Western identity (Roman Catholicism, feudalism, Renaissance, Reformation, overseas discoveries and colonisation, Englightenment and creation of national states) that Russia by and large missed out on because of centuries of Tatar slavery.

The article is a bit academic and 20-pages long but it is certainly worth reading as it contains several pearls of wisdom, as the below quotation form Saint John Paul II:

"certain values, vital for human life, are less degenerated there than in the West. The conviction that God is the highest guarantor of human dignity and human rights is still alive there. So what it the risk? The risk is in indiscriminate accepting of negative cultural influences widespread in the West". (Jan Paweł II, Pamięć i tożsamość, Kraków 2005)

Well said by the sorely missed and beloved Polish Pope, but let's not forget that the current Pope, whilst calling for peace, is also far from condemning Russia.

Anyways, if you would like to read something a bit different than the mindless pulp served to us by the mainstream media, follow the link and read the article.