The Origins of the Modern World: A Global and Ecological Narrative from the Fifteenth to the Twenty-first Century

“The tools of history can help us understand how and why the world we live in—the modern world—got to be the way it is. That understanding can be helpful as we search for ways to make the world a better, safer, more sustainable, and more equitable place for all people.”

Rather than simply holding that history is important to study for its own sake or to have a better understanding of the past, Marks makes the utilitarian argument that knowledge of history is useful in addressing present-day problems. Specifically, he posits that world history is crucial for understanding how to address current global problems like climate change.

“But as we will see, Europeans were not exceptional, and one of the most important points about the history of the world until about 1800 is the broad comparability of Asia with Europe, showing more surprising similarities than meaningful differences.”

One of the most vital recurring points in The Origins of the Modern World is its argument against Eurocentrism and European and American exceptionalism. For most of history, nothing significantly distinguished Europe from other regions in Eurasia. Furthermore, the rise of the West over the rest of the world resulted from the complex interplay of various historical developments.

“[O]ur understandings of the past—who we are, where we came from, why we are here—inform our definitions of who we are in the present and have real implications and applicability for actions taken by us or in our name to shape the future.”

Instead of seeing history as the past, Marks argues for a continuity of experience in which an understanding of history shapes and informs the present. The lessons from the past can be useful in determining the future.