Pirates me hearties, pirates!

[kandrathe]

So, yes, those are "Western" ideas in terms of having Greek origins, and "Western" in the sense that they happened in Europe rather than, say, India, but the yawning historical gap between Athens and the rise of democratic rights in Europe makes it seem suspect to me.

Philosophies are yes, just ideas, that rarely get implemented, and when they do are often found to be idealistic and short lived. I probably confused things by making a statement about individual equality, which yes, are an enlightenment concept. Yet, we stand on the shoulders of many great thinkers who have brought us to where we are at today. Yes, Greeks had a distinct classes in their society, and they had a slave class. Yes, the Romans extended it, but also allowed non-Romans to become citizens of the Empire and to be ruled by laws rather than dictum's. The ideas survived for hundreds of years until aristocracies could be toppled, and governments might be controlled again by citizens. Western society has evolved to include an ever expanding definition of law, rights and freedom. Universal suffrage is an even more modern concept. This is in contrast to Somalia, which yes, is at worse Islamic, and at worst anarchic.

Somali piracy works because it achieve the goals of its financiers, earns them money, and disrupts non-Islamic nations trade.