33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's the fall, stupid!, January 27, 2000
The best and most readable book yet on the cultural freefall of America. With his customary humor and clarity, the good Professor traces the roots of our national rebellion against authority and of the decay of our political system to--well--to our roots.
But he doesn't leave us there, at the fall, with the typical incoherent or impractical solution that so many of the prophet-type writers do today. Nor does Dr. Budziszewski pose his solutions in terms only understandable to the chattering class. Indeed, the value of this book is in the simplicity with which it deals with issues that often become hopelessly complex to the modern mind. Even I could understand it!
I won't give away any of the analysis or the author's proposal of how to deal with the brokenness of society, but suffice it to say that a careful reader will wind up with a clear understanding of the problem, how we got there, and of the way out.
Excellent material highly recommended.
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43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An eloquent and truly Christian perspective on politics, December 15, 1999
This is an excellent book. Speaking as both a Christian and a political scientist, it's the best single volume I've come across on this subject. Its depth far exceeds books put out by better-known, more-lightweight thinkers (e.g., Pat Robertson, Ralph Reed, Rush Limbaugh). There's really no comparison. Budziszewski (!) consistently gets to the heart of the matter. He displays impressive philosophical knowledge and reasoning, without being boring, pretentious, or unintelligible. In other words, the book is interesting, down-to-earth, and understable...while also being brilliant. His even-handed (transcendent) analysis of communitarianism, liberalism, and [yes, even that sacred cow of most evangelicals] conservatism is refreshing. By way of comparison, I'd say that while _Blinded By Might_ (Cal Thomas and Ed Dobson) does a good job of pointing out the dangers of politicizing Christianity, _The Revenge of Conscience_ goes much deeper and comes from a consistently Christian perspective. Cal Thomas may have regrets about his role of blurring the lines between religion and politics, but he continues to uphold the major myths of secular conservatism and to praise its political exponents. If you're receiving direct guidance from the Spirit of God, then maybe you don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows. It could be that the Spirit will use this book to help remove cultural blinders and dispel ideological prejudices. _The Revenge of Conscience_ is so well-written and thought-provoking that people of whatever religious persuasion (or lack thereof) will enjoy the book. It's like nothing else I've read on the subject.
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30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Masterpiece of Christian Psychology, April 11, 2003
This review is from: The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man (Paperback)
A number of other reviewers have summarized the general theme of "The Revenge of Conscience," as well as commenting on Prof. Budziszewski's considerable gifts as a writer. In short, his basic thesis is that the underlying cause of many of the battlegrounds in our modern "culture wars" can be traced back to mankind's Fall (i.e. sin) and continuing unwillingness to face the reality and consequences of that Fall.
However, while this book is a classic on its own political/sociological terms, what really struck this writer is how Prof. Budziszewski has - perhaps unwittingly - set forth perhaps the most convincing Christian answer to modern psychology. Most branches of secular psychology, assuming that Man is essentially a complex animal, identify primal needs and urges as the underlying foundation of the personality or soul. A la Freud, the repression of those primal urges, which is necessary for civil society, is also the source of psychological quirks and emotional suffering. By contrast, Budziszewski, viewing Man from the Christian perspective as created in God's image, asserts that one's inner nature is dominated by an innate knowledge of right and wrong, good and evil (i.e. natural law or "conscience"). However, because man is fallen/sinful, that natural knowledge reveals guilt, which man then tries to repress. According to Budziszewski, it is that repression (or denial) of the reality of guilt and sin which results in psychological suffering - and irrational beliefs and actions in response to that suffering.
In a strange way, Budziszewski's Christian perspective turns Freudian psychology on its head. Instead of the animalistic id, we have a divine conscience. Instead of repressing primal urges, we repress the knowledge of our own sin. Instead of ridding ourselves of false guilt, we need to acknowledge and confess our true guilt. These diametrically opposed views of reality clearly illustrate the fact that ideas do matter - that one's knowledge (or ignorance) of reality will have profound effects on individual, societal, and even geo-political levels.
"The Revenge of Conscience," quite simply, has the potential to change the debate in a variety of contexts. It is a masterpiece of "Christian worldview" theory, a powerful treatise in defense of traditional conservatism, a thought-provoking commentary on American politics and culture - a perhaps a foundational work in developing a truly Christian alternative to atheistic psychology.
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