Of course the UK is going to excel in some things - e.g., science, technology, industry, etc. The UK is what I call an "extreme society" - it is as a culture extremely left-brained and rationalistic and focused almost with a one-track mind on material development, much to the detriment of all other facets of human life. Because of this, the UK was able to make great advancements in science and technology, spearhead the industrial revolution and even colonize a 5th of the world, but at the same time the country severely lacks in terms of actual culture, interpersonal connection, enjoyment and spirituality. In that regard it's not too dissimilar to the US - great for economic growth and productivity but greatly unfulfilling on a spiritual level and not really conducive to finding deeper happiness.kangarunner wrote: ↑June 20th, 2023, 11:10 amGreat response but you got to admit that British people excel in many areas and are responsible for many achievements of Western civilization (great thinkers, intellectuals, artists, musicians, scientists...)
As for intellectualism, art and music, I don't think that the UK is particularly superior in any of those areas. For me at least, British philosophy seems quite boring and mundane in comparison to its Continental European counterpart. I personally find considerably more interesting thinkers and ideas among the Germans, French and Italians than I do among the English. When it comes to art, other European countries have been just a prolific if not more so. The Renaissance art was some of the best and the Renaissance was primarily an Italian phenomenon. British music isn't really better than other music; it's simply more globally well-known due to the dominant influence of the Anglosphere countries in the second half of the 20th century. The US has arguably been a greater pioneer of popular music than the UK, and many non-Anglo cultures have excellent musical traditions of their own even if these aren't as globally well-known as, say, The Beetles or Freddie Mercury.
I have a lot more admiration for Spain, Italy and other Latin cultures than I do for the Anglo world.