7.2欧洲为何总是先锋？《忽然》连载
杨浪序 她把史学理论的水“搅浑”了
《忽然》系列为苏粉必读项目
7.2 欧洲文明为何总是先锋
7.2 Why Was Europe Always the Pioneer?
我们现在来看看相对的欧洲，当然这需要先去回顾一下前面的2.1与2.2。
相对于中国的“西来说”，欧洲文明主要来自“东方”的古埃及或西亚乃至东欧， 他们的人类也来自东方，所以对于欧洲人而言是“东来说”。欧、亚是人类的两 只大犄角。整个肥硕的身躯就是地中海与其周边大陆。
In contrast with the “western origin” of Chinese civilization, European civilization is of “eastern origin” considering that it mainly came from the places in the east such as ancient Egypt or West Asia. It is believed that even humans in Europe were from the east. Europe and Asia are comparable to “two big horns” of human civilization,and the big body is the equivalent to the civilization of Mediteranian Sea with continents around it.
欧洲与东亚相比，不仅有早期的地缘便利，而且有地理之便。
Compared with East Asia, Europe enjoyed advantages both topographically and geographically as it stood close to Africa and the Mediterranean in early times.
中国是个多山内陆国，而欧洲则是个多水地区。整体的欧洲地理形态是个大 半岛，四面环水。在这个大半岛内到处水网密布，中间也没有阻隔交通的天险， 水路交通就是欧洲的主要内部工具。所以，水是欧洲文明的命脉。而欧洲的灵魂 又在地中海，两者勾连，欧洲这个 水国如虎添翼。
In contrast, China is a mountainous inland country far away from the Mediterranean Sea while water is abundant in Europe which could be likened to a golden pool.
中国则相反，不仅远离文明核心地中海，而且内部缺水。
(东亚帝国与地中海帝国所代表的文明来自两个根本不同的地理形态。一个属水， 一个属土。/ The civilization represented by the East Asian Empire and the Mediterranean Empire came from two fundamentally different geography, of which one was made up by water while another by inland. )
在整个历史时期，假如说马与水上文化构成了西方文化的基本元素，而高山 与内陆农业则构成了中国文化。从流通速度上看，欧洲是个快社会，中国是个慢 社会。最终欧洲形成了一个开放的商业社会，中国是个相对封闭的农业社会，都 是地理的恒定作用结果。西方内部的发展代谢速度一直远远高于东方，这是西方 为何能首先进入工业革命的潜在主因。
If horses and waterways used to constitute the whole history of the West, Chinese culture was on the whole featured by mountains and agriculture. The former grew into an open commercial society while the latter a sheltered agricultural one in the long run. These differences may help explain why the West should take the lead in industrialization.
不过，今天人类的交流方式已经再次改变，畜力时代早已结束，超越地理限制的飞机与互联网使我们进入到一个全新的时代。欧洲的地理优势在今天已经不 复存在，以往那些地缘地理、交通不便地区，都可能在新的科技条件下获得一个 大幅度的文明补涨机会。中国就是其中一个得益者。
However, the present human communication mode has changed again with the development of the internet. Today, geographical advantages seem to be of no avail and those regions without geographical conveniences in the past might get a substantial opportunity under the new circumstance today. And China is one of the beneficiaries modern technology.
（金砖国家/BRIC）
文明犹 如一个有生 命的生物体， 它在一个地 区消费完当 时的原始能 量之后，会继续寻找新的能源(以往人类消费的能源有赤道、温暖气候、人口、 地理、海路、河流、土地、马匹、文化与技术、煤炭、石油、市场等等)。当年文明曾经在地中海东部沿岸做过长期的衡量与选择，最终文明龙头没有穿越厚重 的内陆进入东亚，断然回到地中海，经过一段时间的盘桓之后一路向西，这主要 可能就是因为水路的功绩。在近代，水路在继续书写着奇迹。但美洲如此大的一个吸引力，一个正在成长的市场，才是点亮欧洲西北欧的主要原因。
Civilization is comparable to a living organism that would keep on looking for something new for survival such as equator, warm climate, population, geography, sea routes, rivers, land, horses, culture and technology, coal, oil, market and so on. After the zenith of civilization stayed a while around the Mediterranean coast, it left the ancient Gold Pool for the Atlantic Ocean. However, this monster seems to have been addicted to waters till today.
1620 年，五月花号从工业文明的发源地英国启程到达美国，这些移民开始 点燃北美文明之火，这背后依然是水的作用。假如英美中间是陆地，就没有今天 的美国辉煌。 经过几个世纪的积累，至 20 世纪中叶，左右逢源、两面临海的美 国开始称霸世界，也可以说它依然得益于地缘地理。
In 1620, the Mayflower set out from Britain, the birthplace of the industrial civilization, and arrived in America. Those immigrants began to ignite the fire of civilization in North America. After centuries of accumulation, the United States surrounded by oceans began to dominate the world at it came to the middle of the 20th century.
（ 英国五月花号 / the Mayflower ）
左右逢源的美国，实际上其地理形势与5000 年前的西亚一样，两面环水。 / With seas around America today is somewhat like the West Asia of 5000 years ago.
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