Paul:
I agree that the concept of Western is analytically useful. For example Bronowski and Mazlish use it productively in their book The Western Intellectually Tradition which covers the period 1530-1630, "from Leonardo to Hegel."
I also agree with Eva Ekeblad of the need to unpackage the term and I found the BBC discussion that you posted useful in that regard. The rest of the world has not been irrelevant to the development of science, but the 'west' was the most significant center of this development. I personally like to think of the development of science in the west, rather than of the development of western science. The term western science disguises what I would like to think of as the common heritage of science.
In any case, the distinction between western and non-western has become increasingly problematic with time because intellectual ideas span traditional boundaries, and I think that is what Bill Barowy is saying as well.
Kedmon Hungwe
Center for Educational Technology
University of Zimbabwe
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