Reflections on The Re-Awakening East (Summary)

Introduction (writer and the Text): 

Bertrand Russell one of the most outstanding writers and thinkers of time, an eminent mathematician and philosopher; comes out with the historical discussion of the power struggle between the' East and the West. The writer attaches great hopes to Asia, which he thinks has suffered- much under the White man imperialism.
The writer attaches great importance to Asia, which has a profound cultural heritage and has suffered much under the insolence of the White man. He admonishes Asia to be aware of the Russian Communism, which he considers a great menace to it and emphasizes the importance of science and industrialism, as the prerequisites for the survival.

History of Power struggle between the East and the West:

The author mentions the power alteration between the East and the 'Nest occurring for the last two thousand years and more. The more civilized and powerful East predominated in the earliest history. However with the rise of Greece and the conquests of Alexander, the west acquired the lead in the power. The West loses its seven, eight centuries held power after the wars between Romans and Germans, and the enfeebled West shifts power to the East and the Muslims. The Islamic Empire in the golden days of Caliphate was considerably larger than that of Rome in its greatest days. The supremacy of the East this time is not military might only, but it mastered in arts, science, philosophy, and poetry in the times when the west was sunk into barbarism. The west, however, takes the turn in the leader ship of Columbus and Vasco da Gama-, taking science as their weapon, outdistancing the East.

Asia: victim of the white man insolence: 

Asia has suffered the white man insolence in the ways arousing fury. This has roused the mood of fury and resultant resistance among the Asians destroying the western power in Asia.

Russian Imperialism a looming menace to Asia:

A new danger that looms Asia is Russian Imperialism. The writer considers communism the most modern and most virulent form of western Imperialism, because of its German philosophy and military regime, therefore he suggests that it should not be welcomed by any friend of humanity. 

Industrialism, regrettable yet necessary:

Bertrand Russell considers industrialism indispensable and a prerequisite for the development of Asia. The author attributes the development of England in the Nineteenth Century and that of Russia and America presently to the development in industrialism. Despite its harmful effect on the natural beauty, the writer considers the development of industrialism inevitable. However, he condemns the industry for the production of the weapons of war and considers the application of science in this regard the most sinister one. 

Asia having heritage of three distinct civilizations: 

The writer opposes the idea to treat Asia as a unity; on the contrary he considers it a composition of three distinct, unmixable civilizations, the civilization of Islam, India and that of China. The author is alarmed of the danger of too much cultural uniformity, he maintains No great civilization has ever been cosmopolitan." However he bases modern cosmopolitanism upon science and machinery. 

Love and poetry, safeguard mechanization of life: 

Admitted the importance of science and technology, the author preaches the right and due place for love and poetry to make the life tolerable. To avoid the wholly mechanization of life, it should contain poetry and music and art and love and the simple joys of life, things usually forgotten in a Machine Age. 

Conclusion:

 The writer concludes that all the human labour to bring happiness to humans, to explore the secrets of atoms and stars, is vitiated by an evil instinct of love of power over other human beings. Humans should learn to respect and coexist with each other; the East being in power is expected to avoid the use of its power in the exploitation of those who are less in power.