Abstract

What is western civilization? Began with the bitter experience of Opium War in modern period, we know western civilization from its appearance to its essence. We once thought the foundation of their strength was powerful military force, which was later extended to their political institution and further to the Constitutional Reform and Modernization in 1898. However, despite the importance of matters and institutions, the establishment of European civilization was in fact the accumulation of ideas and the formation of social consensus. Therefore, I put forward the concept of “meta-rules” in European civilization study for the first time. In this article, Meta-rules are defined as the primary, initial and critical rules of a particular civilization. They are the “rules” that determine rules, which are widely recognized and clearly defined by society and become the basic principles of social life. The meta-rules of European civilization are similar to “embryos”. They have a highly stable connotation, so that they infiltrate the legal and political institution aspects, lay the foundations of western civilization, and make the West the West. External manifestations vary with time and space, and sometimes they even seem beyond recognition. However, with a careful observation, we will find that western civilization retains its unique original characteristics just like every other civilization. To focus and analyze these meta-rules is undoubtedly the key point to our exploration of the essence of a particular civilization.

Published on Economic and Social History Review, Issue 4, 2020.