The Historical Roots of Modern Culture: Evidence of ‘Moral Sentiments’?

Samuel Huntington viewed world history as the clash of civilizations - of cultures differing in several dimensions, including religion. In contrast, Gerard Roland has proposed a one-dimensional approach, where the critical distinction between countries is whether they have the statist economy of a collective society; or the market-oriented system of an individualistic society. It is claimed, moreover, that current societies reflect the type of their respective ‘founding civilizations’; and empirical evidence - based on historical data he has assembled – is offered in support of both claims. Adam Smith saw a role for ‘moral sentiments’ in human behaviour, however; and anthropologists have emphasized the role of religion in promoting cooperation and contributing to the growth of civilisations. Could taking this into account enhance Roland’s objectives of distinguishing between cultures and of tracking the effect of the past on present civilisations? We show that the ‘principal components’ extracted from Roland’s institutional data of founding civilisations help identify the historical conditions for the emergence of the key religious blocs of the modern world – offering, we suggest, a social/moral complement to the account of temporal authority that he has developed.