An interesting presentation on TED by Niall Ferguson. I never really considered that "Freedom" was based on the Rule of Law of private property rights -- as expounded by John Locke in the 17th century ("life, liberty, and property"). The work ethic Niall mentioned is not just of the Protestant kind but also Asian (China) and the West is losing theirs. Complex civilisations operate on the edge of CHAOS and the West seems to have lost its mojo.