While unified global theories of everything are often problematic, particularly when humans are involved, there is still some reason to give cautious consideration to commonalities across national boundaries as well as over extended periods of time. Of course, it is all-too-easy to fall into teleological errors when assessing changes in societies, yet when care is taken to focus on the causes rather than the purposes for the observed results, asking such questions as “What makes the modern world work?” are entirely reasonable.