Customer Reviews

The Suicide of Reason: Radical Islam's Threat to the West

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If you have read Harris' Civilization and Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History you have read the first installment of this book. But Harris has had a few more years to observe and think about the clash between Islam's followers and those whom they declare to be "infidels."
Harris examines fanaticism with a look through history that most in the West have no understanding of. His observations of the Crusades, Fascist Germany, Stalin's USSR and other such movements are fresh insights into their ability to find common ground with current Islamists' view of the righteousness of their cause. Harris is also able to show that the West's victory over fanaticism, based upon the Enlightenment, in many ways, have given most in the West a false sense of inevitability when it comes to a generally assumed myopia that Western notions of a civilized society will somehow prevail.
Harris is never "politically correct" but usually correct about politics including the polity of Islam and the West's arrogance in thinking that they can count on their world always being the victor without having to lift a finger to win.
While I don't necessarily agree with everything Harris says in this book, it is one that everyone should read.
Another great book.

Lee Harris writes another thought-provoking treatise on the state of world affairs since 9/11. While his first book, Civilization and Its Enemies: The Next Stage of History, discusses the problem of the enemy and the modern, liberal's propensity to forget the enemy's ruthless nature, The Suicide of Reason: Radical Islam's Threat to the West, offers a much more concrete and relevant explanation of the enemy facing the modern, liberal culture-bloc of the West.

Mr. Harris presents an audacious account of Western evasion (and unconscious complicity through multiculturalism) of the threat of Radical Islam's Fanaticism. In doing so, he satisfies many readers who are interested to know more of this particular threat, which he might have failed to accomplish with his first work. This satisfaction may be short-lived when one confronts the enmormity and scope of the challenge for the West as Mr. Harris provides a cogent scenario for the collapse of the Western world by Fanatical Islam.

By defining the battle-lines of Enlightened West and Fanatical Islam in the clash of cultures, Mr. Harris pulls together a masterful argument for drawing these distinctions by examining the history of Reason-based societies, the mystification of Reason, the cultural-preservationism of Fanatical Islam and jihad as a tool for spreading this culture. The result is a logical account of fanaticism and jihad to explain many current events: Al-Qaeda's spectacular acts of terror against Western countries, the "cartoon riots," and the events at the "Red Mosque" in Pakistan.

The prose is much easier to read and comprehend this time around; although, many will find his message too outrageous to consider. The lack of scholarly presentation of his position will be sure to ruffle feathers of intellectuals couped up in the Ivory Tower, but the book is sure to stimulate thought and discussion among those wanting a better understanding of the current War of Cultures.

The book is extremely readable, of great interest to both the person who knows nothing about history, and to the real experts.
Mr. Harris does this by
1)leading the reader, step by step, through the events and thoughts that have shaped the west, and have a bearing on the situation of the US now. This is accessible to everybody, and convincing.
2)for the expert, Mr. Harris offers a unique view of all the events/thoughts as well as exploring a lot of "what ifs".
3) the language is clear and powerful.
I wish to respond to some of the reviewers who have said that they disagree with the writer on a lot of things. It seems to me that the aim of the book is to challenge everyone's ideas, or notions, about a great many things- to create a dialogue about the current situation.
I also wish to respond to reviewers who give the impression that this is about either fanaticism or Islam. To me, it is far more about the effective response by the West to fanaticism. Effectiveness, what works, is the point.
The US is in an environment which does not allow much room for error. Voters and policy makers have to do it right, and this book is a contribution to that. It also expresses points not aired in any press.
I also think that the book might have benefitted from a few footnotes and exploration of nuances in the current situation. At the same time, that would likely have detracted from the principle message, and made the book more cumbersome to read. As is, it works, and hooks the reader like the best thriller.
Thank you.

Mr. Harris paints with a broad brush -- the two strains of humankind that populate the planet, viz., rational actors and tribal actors. It takes little insight as to who is who. In this view, political disputes between "rational" actors and tribal communities are subject to an ultimate Darwinianism of "might makes right," once reason can no longer settle serious differences. Harris cites numerous cases in the past to give credence to his point.

One area that he does not mention -- a point that should be raised -- is that the "tribal" violence that is always associated with Islam is endemic to its texts. According to any fair reading of the Qur'an, Allah is, among other qualities, a capricious and a hateful deity (to non-Muslims), or at least this is what Muhammad taught to his followers. For this reason, the bifurcation of all human society into Muslims and infidels is the fundamental source of most of the violence associated with Islam over the centuries, even to the present day. Of course, Harris considers this fanatacism of the worst sort, but a powerfully motivating force that continues to bind all Muslims together: Dar al Islam vs. Dar al Harb. There is no enlightenment for Islamic societies because their religious beliefs and political ideology discourage or even prohibit freethinking.

All Americans should consider Harris' views not only to evaluate the truths his analysis reveals, but also that we may better evaluate the probity and depth of understanding (or lack of) in our elected officials who are to make foreign policy that is to deal with these alien and hostile elements.

A thought-provoking and serious argument that is well worth reading.

Mr. Harris has written a needed and insightful book however in his enthusiasm for the topic he often ignores the strengths of the West, the advantages of liberalism (classical), and the less than monolithic character of Islam. Nevertheless this is a good wake-up call for those who consistently underestimate the seriousness of this assault on western culture and values. Challenging western values and culture is not inherently wrong however when the challenge is based on a nihilistic outlook such as that of the current Islamist fanatics, it must not be taken lightly.

The historian Allan Nevins argues that one of the "causes" of the American Civil War was the general failure to imagine how horrible such a war would be. He suggests someone needs to think of the worst. Lee Harris, author and frequent contributor to Policy Review and the Wall Street Journal, claims this is the reason for writing this book.

The Suicide of Reason illustrates how the western world and the Law of Reason may be causing its own demise and facilitating a return to the Law of the Jungle. It questions the U.S. national policy of promoting democracy abroad. It challenges the liberal AND conservative aspects of President Bush's policies. It examines world politics through a realist lens. The greatest challenge to the liberal West is: Can Reason save us?

Harris's book is broken into five major sections. The first section gives a background of Fanaticism and Reason. It explains how the two schools of thought were formed. He examines the French and Spanish Revolutions and demonstrates how they each moved through the Law of the Jungle and the Law of Reason.

The second section explores the politics of Reason and Hobbesian theory. How did early man, caught up in the struggle for survival, become transformed into rational actors? How did we learn to hold our tongues or fists, to take each other seriously, and appreciate each others' point of view? How did we learn to stand in line?

Next, Harris explains Condorcet's Tenth Stage of Reason and the institution of education. Public education, in a secular state, weans the child away from the superstitions, prejudice, bigotry, and fanaticism of the parent. Education in a non-secular state can be used for indoctrinate into radicalism, tribalism or jihad.

The fourth section examines fanaticism and how jihad can actually be logical. Politicians claim that moderate Muslims should denounce jihad and terrorism. Harris argues there is no incentive for this to happen. Jihad and terrorism have proven to be effective at promoting Islam throughout the world and time. Why would rational Muslims denounce actions that are helping Islam grow throughout the world?

The last section questions how Western society can survive and explores a possible New World Order. He argues that American policy makers have confused populism with liberal democracy. Populism is the politics of the tribal mind, whereas democracy is the politics of the rational actor. How can the election of Hamas to leadership among the Palestinians be considered a liberal democracy? Populism is nearly a return to the Law of the Jungle.

This book makes no effort to be politically correct. Lee Harris compels policy makers to evaluate National Strategy and U.S. actions in the Middle East. He looks at the "Long War" and presents his view from a societal context. I recommend this book for any reader who wants a differing and challenging view of the "Long War" and radical Islam.

Harris does a fine job of examining fanaticism and why we in the West had better redefine our notion of the term at some point before the caliphate gets here. He says our enlightened society is as much a happy accident as a product of any ethos and that we can lose it as quickly as we found it. The selfish pursuit of our own interests leads to economic benefits but also leads to us each being a civilization of one. In the face of serious threats to our way of life, there is no cohesion and no enthusiasm to mount a common defense.

A tribal society on the other hand has no notion of the individual but has great durability in the face of adversity and tremendous capacity to force itself on others.

I disagree with some of his observations about the current military efforts underway and his conclusions seem rather narrow but still a quite fascinating study of the current state of civilization.

An important book changes your view of your world. Harris' "The Suicide of Reason" succeeds in doing this and points out serious threats to the survival of Western Civilization from the inside and the outside. Harris shows that the most important message that America's leaders have failed to grasp is that not everybody sees the world the same way. Harris' "rational actors" act to change their culture out of enlightened self interest whereas his "tribal actors" act to preserve their culture. Nominally the conflict is presented as fanatical Islam's tribal actors versus the West's rational actors, but his paradigm applies to groups within the West as well. As you read this book you will recognize "tribal" views in many rabid Democratic Party supporters, Chicago Bear's fans and Intelligent Design advocates, among others. These people have ceased listening to any counter-positions.

The "tribal mind" dominated Earth until The Enlightenment. How did this revolutionary change come to occur? Harris invokes Hobbes, Spinoza, Condorset, Locke, Marx, Huxley, Voltaire and others to show how it took root in the time of the French Revolution and came to fruition in America.

Is it inevitable that the rational actors' democratic ideal will come to dominate the world? It looks like it will be unlikely to survive without a prompt change of direction by the West. Recent western generations have ceased acting in ways to protect their hard won culture. They are now dissipating this monumental asset in the name of political correctness. "Right thinking has replaced real thinking."

Harris' rephrased titular question, "Does reason commit suicide when it blinds itself to the reality and the power of the irrational?", presents the West's primary problem: its leaders live under the delusion that everybody looks at the world the same way. They must consider that different groups have very different perceptions of the world. All problems can't be resolved by win-win positive thinking; inevitably testosterone will enter into the equation. The most rational among us must accept that in the world of the blind the one-eyed man isn't king by divine right.

This is an exceptionally insightful book that deserves to be read by serious people seriously concerned about the survival of their political and cultural traditions into the next generation.

THE SUICIDE OF REASON: RADICAL ISLAM'S THREAT TO THE WEST is a recommended pick for any college-level collection strong in Islamic studies, East/West politics, interactions and social issues. It argues that the basic Western concept of a possible democracy in Iraq is itself misguided - and the notion of fostering a Western style liberal democracy only encourages radical Islam. The West is in a war with Islamic fanaticism - and THE SUICIDE OF REASON charts this war, offering up original thinking and analysis as well as better strategies for East/West relations.

This book is deeply thoughtful, and analytically credible.

His analysis of the strengths/ weaknesses of liberal Western thought and Islam is highly plausible.

Like his previous book, it is worth a re-read.