Modernization requires Westernization - not necessarily

Submitted by Anon (United States), Apr 3, 2019 at 10:35

I would disagree with the statement that "modernization requires Westernization". Japan is not Western in a cultural sense for instance but it is every bit as modern as any other country today. You could say something similar about Korea and China to a lesser extent. Of course it is important not to be hostile to Western culture (and other attributes of the West) in order to be modern. I think listening to Western symphonies won't hurt Omanis but acceptance of secular Western ideas that have emerged post WWII matter a lot more.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".