maybe the scope for accommodating alternate worldviews is on thin ice and until reconciliation is possible then it will not be apparent. it is what it is and the narrative here is constructed on far more solid foundations with much appropriate referencing (and potentially counter factual hypotheses) than many other theories - old and new - that purport to shine the light on ignorance's darkness. I tried to keep an open mind and surprising myself somewhat, found very little - if any - room for disagreement in this book. Such flimsy argument/conclusions contradict his (well-founded) thesis on the value of seeking truth by using reason applied to full presentation of arguments. The best example of this I recall was his comparison of the relative strength of Western vs Muslim culture, that basically the Christians won the Battle of Tours, therefore Western civilization is superior. ![]() He is defending reasoned argument and open debate but doing so by presenting only a fraction of the other side and not applying sincere reason. ![]() I'm fortunate enough to have read many of the works he references (and by his own report dismantles) it is sad to think that his interpretation may be the only one many of his readers will ever hear. Ultimately he appears to discard most without really presenting a fair view of them - even though this is exactly what he suggests he's against. In making this argument he runs through an impressive array of Western thinkers, but does so in a cursory fashion and presents judgment on them based on very narrow selections of their work. His underlying thesis that we are the inheritors of a great (though not flawless) cultural tradition based on reason and strong values is well founded. His conclusions that we need to hold onto the values that have been passed down to us, and pass them down to our children are important arguments. I agree with him re: the value of free speech and open debate of ideas, which is why I chose to listen to this book. I had heard of but never read or seen Shapiro himself before. Shapiro's approach contradicts his thesis A stark warning, and a call to spiritual arms, this audiobook may be the first step in getting our civilization back on track. ![]() The West is special, and in The Right Side of History, Ben Shapiro bravely explains that it’s because too many of us have lost sight of the moral purpose that drives us each to be better, or the sacred duty to work together for the greater good, or both. We believe we can reject Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law and satisfy ourselves with intersectionality, or scientific materialism, or progressive politics, or authoritarian governance, or nationalistic solidarity. And we are watching our civilization collapse into age-old tribalism, individualistic hedonism, and moral subjectivism. We are in the process of abandoning Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, favoring instead moral subjectivism and the rule of passion. Venezuela rejects Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and citizens of their oil-rich nation have been reduced to eating dogs. The Nazis rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and they shoved children into gas chambers. The USSR rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, substituting a new utopian vision of “social justice” - and they starved and slaughtered tens of millions of human beings. Jerusalem and Athens were the foundations of the Magna Carta and the Treaty of Westphalia they were the foundations of the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.Ĭivilizations that rejected Jerusalem and Athens have collapsed into dust. ![]() Jerusalem and Athens built America, ended slavery, defeated the Nazis and the Communists, lifted billions from poverty, and gave billions spiritual purpose. We can thank these values for the birth of science, the dream of progress, human rights, prosperity, peace, and artistic beauty. Our freedoms are built upon the twin notions that every human being is made in God’s image and that human beings were created with reason capable of exploring God’s world. He came to argue that Western civilization is in the midst of a crisis of purpose and ideas. Hundreds of police officers were required from 10 UC campuses across the state to protect his speech, which was - ironically - about the necessity for free speech and rational debate. In 2016, Ben Shapiro spoke at UC Berkeley. America has a God-shaped hole in its heart, argues New York Times best-selling author Ben Shapiro, and we shouldn't fill it with politics and hate.
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