From Machiavelli to Marx, Nietzsche to Hitler, this volume offers a provocative look at some of Western civilization's most infamous authors and their literary works and shows how these works have inflicted great evil in the world--and still cause suffering.
10 Books that Screwed Up the World
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A valuable contribution.... This book will open many eyes." ---Elizabeth Kantor, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to English and American Literature
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
From the Author
10 Books that Screwed Up the World is an excellent book to get for your children before they go off to college--a book that will give them insight into the kinds of ideas that have done so much damage to our society, ideas they're likely to encounter in their classes. This book is a companion to my 10 Books Every Conservative Must Read, which takes readers on a tour of the good books, the books that your children should be reading even if their professors aren't assigning them.
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More About the Author
Benjamin Wiker is a full-time writer, husband of one wife, and father of seven children. He has a Ph.D. in Theological Ethics from Vanderbilt University, an M.A. in Religion from Vanderbilt University, and a B.A. in Political Philosophy from Furman University. He has taught at Marquette University, St. Mary's University (MN), Thomas Aquinas College, and Franciscan University. He is now a full-time writer and speaker.
Benjamin Wiker's website is www.benjaminwiker.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
120 of 133 people found the following review helpful
By the bishop
Format:Hardcover
Many of the reviews here and also on audible, seem to focus on the fact that the author is Christian as reason to avoid, and apparently, to become very angry after reading the book. All I would say is: 1. if you believe human rights are innate 2. human dignity and worth is innate and 3. moral truth is non-negotiable and transcends culture or society, then you will probably read the book without getting upset, and you likely will find it interesting. If on the other hand, you believe that 1. human rights are arbitrary, evolve, and come from government 2. human beings are animals and the value of a human life is equal to the value of any given animal life and 3. morality is relative, and political movments can alter moral "truths" to their benefit or for the perceived benefit of mankind, then you probably will be angry at Wiker and his "Christian fundamentalist" "clap-trap". More disturbing though, is how many reviewers attack the author as "Christian" as if this invalidates his ability to think and reason. It is amazing how successful the secular left has been at making "religion" the antonym of "thought". There was a time when all of Western Civilization, science, math, jurisprudence, academic research, hellenistic reason, was preserved and cultivated and embodied by the Church, when both reason and morality were both necessary for some idea or some person to be counted as virtuous. Today many reviewers here feel compelled to show their secular, cultural-relativist intolerance by giving an unsubstantiated 1-star review and pronouncing to the world, "Don't read this book, the author has a Christian world view!" The universities have done their job well.
175 of 219 people found the following review helpful
By Goldribbon
Format:Hardcover
Since so many others have reviewed the content, let me just say that:
a) I actually read the book
b) I teach as an adjunct in a related area in higher education and am a published academic author
c) It is a popular synthesis, so it won't be all things to all people
d) Overall, it is quite correct that these books (and a few others) have greatly damaged human society, more so by a great deal of uncritical thinking that is lauded in higher education as critical thinking
e) This is the reason why almost all of the negative reviews don't critique the book but instead make bigoted, hate-speech toward religious people who never hurt anyone (and these reviewers have clearly never read this book, the books the author mentions or the Bible for that matter--not counting a few quotes from some wacky, tokin' college prof (aka most of my professional colleagues))
f) Read this book--what people don't know really has and is damaging humanity
a) I actually read the book
b) I teach as an adjunct in a related area in higher education and am a published academic author
c) It is a popular synthesis, so it won't be all things to all people
d) Overall, it is quite correct that these books (and a few others) have greatly damaged human society, more so by a great deal of uncritical thinking that is lauded in higher education as critical thinking
e) This is the reason why almost all of the negative reviews don't critique the book but instead make bigoted, hate-speech toward religious people who never hurt anyone (and these reviewers have clearly never read this book, the books the author mentions or the Bible for that matter--not counting a few quotes from some wacky, tokin' college prof (aka most of my professional colleagues))
f) Read this book--what people don't know really has and is damaging humanity
251 of 320 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I remember almost thirty years ago a brother-in-law retorting, during a discussion about child-rearing, that he intended to raise his children as wild stallions in a state of nature. I recall commenting that the poor deluded man was merely repeating what he had heard in his sophomore sociology and psychology classes and that, in doing so, he manifested his ignorance of the subject.
One reviewer of Dr. Wiker's book, "10 Books that Screwed up the World," offered the following thought:
"Ideas can certainly be dangerous but, once they are articulated in print, a thinking person has an opportunity to consider them rationally and counter them. This process is much more difficult if we are working from an oral articulation of ideas because orators can sway emotion and equivocate more effectively."
While intended to be a criticism of Professor Wiker ("Is this guy an enemy of free speech?"), the critic, in fact, makes his point; few people have actually read these books. Like my brother-in-law, had they actually read Rousseau, other than Emile, had they actually read Hobbes, other than the usual snippets of Leviathan offered, had they read Darwin's the Descent of Man, Machiavelli's The Prince, etc., they might have been better able to digest the unfounded and destructive utopian visions of Marx, Lenin, Hitler, and assess the illusions conjured by Freud, Sanger, Mead, and Kinsey. The reality is that few who have proffered these writers as icons of enlightened intellectualism, namely the professorial and teaching class, have taken the time to consider their products rationally. And, certainly those to whom it has been asserted that the writings comprise a source of deep reflection beneficial to humanity - essential to an understanding of humanitas - have not taken the opportunity to consider them rationally and counter the assertions. These vapid arguments have seeped into the mainstream only because they were developed by "so-and-so." In other words, the foundation is ipse dixit; the proof is hearsay.
That's why Professor Wiker bemoans the fact that the writings he has singled out have had such profound influence. If writings are not actually read and subjected to rational assessment, it would be better had they never been written. Unfortunately, the writings that Wiker addresses have been and continue to be highly detrimental to the body politic and the human soul. That is the more important reason that they should never have been written.
"10 Books that Screwed up the World" is easily read in a couple of sittings; is readily understood; and, is a must read especially for young people headed for the "castles" of higher learning.
One reviewer of Dr. Wiker's book, "10 Books that Screwed up the World," offered the following thought:
"Ideas can certainly be dangerous but, once they are articulated in print, a thinking person has an opportunity to consider them rationally and counter them. This process is much more difficult if we are working from an oral articulation of ideas because orators can sway emotion and equivocate more effectively."
While intended to be a criticism of Professor Wiker ("Is this guy an enemy of free speech?"), the critic, in fact, makes his point; few people have actually read these books. Like my brother-in-law, had they actually read Rousseau, other than Emile, had they actually read Hobbes, other than the usual snippets of Leviathan offered, had they read Darwin's the Descent of Man, Machiavelli's The Prince, etc., they might have been better able to digest the unfounded and destructive utopian visions of Marx, Lenin, Hitler, and assess the illusions conjured by Freud, Sanger, Mead, and Kinsey. The reality is that few who have proffered these writers as icons of enlightened intellectualism, namely the professorial and teaching class, have taken the time to consider their products rationally. And, certainly those to whom it has been asserted that the writings comprise a source of deep reflection beneficial to humanity - essential to an understanding of humanitas - have not taken the opportunity to consider them rationally and counter the assertions. These vapid arguments have seeped into the mainstream only because they were developed by "so-and-so." In other words, the foundation is ipse dixit; the proof is hearsay.
That's why Professor Wiker bemoans the fact that the writings he has singled out have had such profound influence. If writings are not actually read and subjected to rational assessment, it would be better had they never been written. Unfortunately, the writings that Wiker addresses have been and continue to be highly detrimental to the body politic and the human soul. That is the more important reason that they should never have been written.
"10 Books that Screwed up the World" is easily read in a couple of sittings; is readily understood; and, is a must read especially for young people headed for the "castles" of higher learning.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Just a right-winger view of the world
By chapter 3, you will be insulted if you are a liberal or even moderate. You will see that the author will consider no other view of the world than from the eyes of a... Read more
Published 9 days ago by B. Kiser
4.0 out of 5 stars
How NOT to Fix the World in 15 Easy Lessons
"[Progress] is bringing us to a new age of technological barbarism, wherein humanity becomes ever more religiously obsessed with health and sexual pleasure as pseudo-gods,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Linda R. Gabriel
3.0 out of 5 stars
has an agenda
book is a good review of several books ' but the author comes from a very obvious christian perspective wich colors his choice of books
Published 3 months ago by froggy
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is the type of book that screws up the world
I might have given this two stars because it was easy to listen to, but the author's arrogance, dishonesty and misrepresentations demanded the lowest rating. Read more
Published 4 months ago by R. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
I gave this book to about 20 people for Christmas
Few things are more entertaining than a negative book review. This volume provides great insight into the perils of the worldview of materialism. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Renfrew
1.0 out of 5 stars
a bunch of crap
Some of the most brilliant minds of the last century are criticized in this book. If you are narrow minded and cant think "outside the box" then you might like this book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by dk
1.0 out of 5 stars
Printing flaw
After reading this book I am at a loss for words. It's an affliction that the author should have suffered first. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Gutenberg
1.0 out of 5 stars
As a published author...
I find this book to be slanted, stilted, and preachy. I teach literature at a major Christian University and was anxious to give this book a read, but from page 1 this book... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Always Right
1.0 out of 5 stars
If you're not a Rick Santorum conservative, this book may well make...
It's not very often that a book makes me want to go out and commit physical violence on the author, but this book definitely takes the cake. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Meaghan Good
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent introduction
I checked this book out from my library, and I read it over the space of about four hours. It's a quick, fairly easy read. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Wendi
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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