Civilisation, Descartes, & Stuff

I found this quite odd.

Frans Hals, Descartes

From page 208 of Civilisation by Kenneth Clark (1969). 

Civilisation was a BBC series. It spun a book. I don't have time to critique the crappy old book in the full measure with which it is due since it's late and we're under a tornado watch so I'm on high alert. Yes. You read that correctly. It's October 2nd... soon to be October 3rd, 2014... and we are under a tornado watch. Not that a tornado is coming. We're just watching out for one. Still, I don't have time to delve into the absurdity of a book titled Civilisation: A Personal View. 

But here's my first reaction!

I picked this book up today at the Starkvegas Library and thought it had potential. Who doesn't like crappy old books concerning civiliZation? It was definitely worth fifty cents. (But no more.) 

Here's what the back jacket says:

A personal view of how Western Europe evolved after the collapse of the Roman Empire and produced the ideas, books, buildings, works of art and great individuals that make up a Civilisation.

And you see whose likeness is on page 208?

Cogito ergo sum, idiot

'Western Europe' didn't do jack. 

'O': Denotes first person singular in a lot of verbs. This is like 8th grade Latin stuff and 9th grade Logic stuff. 

What does it even mean to say "Western Europe produced..."? Like, the Urals or the Alps just spit out Descartes or Locke or Mozart or Luther or Sherlock or Dr. Who or-- what the hell? Kant-- or whohaveyou? Like Dvorak and ... oh nevermind. 

~~

"Missy?"

"Missy? Where are you?"

"Rocky??"

"Boy!"