Ian Morris is a history professor who earned his PhD at Cambridge University before becoming Professor of Classics and History at Stanford University in 1995. Before joining Stanford University Professor Ian Morris served as Associate Dean of Humanities and Sciences, Chair of Classics Department and Director of Social Science History Institute. He also founded and directed the Stanford Archaelogy Center. Between 2000 and 2006 Professor Ian Morris directed Stanford University's excavation at Monte Polizzo, Sicily. Professor Morris has been awarded fellowships from both the Guggenheim Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington D.C. and… Institute for Research in the Humanities, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ian Morris's interest in understanding why the west has dominated the earth for the last few centuries lead him to his career as an archaelogist and historian of ancient Greece studying texts and excavating sites around the Mediterranean Sea. This interest has lead him to write or edit 11 books on the subject with the most recent being Why The West Rules... For Now. It asks the question how geography and natural resources have shaped the distribution of wealth and power around the world for the past 20,000 years and how the will shape our future.