This book describes how the Western and eastern ways of thinking evolved in different ways based in the main influences of ancient times. These influences in the West came mostly from the urban/trading Greece and in the East mostly from rural/farming communities all over China and its neighbors. The profiles that the author, Mr Nisbett, presents actually extend to urban and rural comunnities in general. Nisbett hismself noticed it when looking at Europe in the Middle ages and I notice it right today in our very nation, which has a mostly rural backgroud. Some of this rural/farming characteristics are excessive focus in harmony and agreement within the community. What Nisbett missed was that rural/farming communitirs develop way mistrut to outsiders, unlike city people. R. Nisbett was excessively kind to the East, and you should read a more critical description of the East in "Shutting Out The Sun" by M Zielenziger. He covered Japan and a bit of Korea, but his work can extend farther. Despite Nisbett's mistakes, his work is still very good and will let you understand Easterners better. For example, I got interested in them after discovering their unique cartoons or "anime" and this book let me undertand many things far better than books on anime and popular Japanese culture.