A while back, I discovered Niall Ferguson via a TED talk that he gave on what he called the 6 Killer Apps of Prosperity. It was a fascinating take on why Western Civilization rose to prominence. The last few years I’ve become a bit more preoccupied with history—especially the history of The United States. Change seems to be coming at a rapid rate. A lot of it not so good. The general rationale for the success of the U.S.A runs the spectrum from “American Exceptionalism” and divine providence to exploitation and war. None of those rationales ever really seemed right to me. They are too simplistic.