Customer Reviews

What Is the West?

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most people assume that Western Civilization is either worthless (some on the Left), or easily importable to other civilizations (some on the Right). But the West has traveled a very long road through Jerusalem, Greece, Rome, the Papistry, etc... to get where we are. We have a lot to be proud of, and this book helps us understand why.

Every High School Senior should read this book. People should form book-reading clubs and discuss it. Your congressman should read this book. It's just that good.

What is the West? represents the summing up in very concise and readable fashion the thinking of one of Europe's most respected, insightful and powerful intellects. It's a short and readable essay built upon a solid foundation of decades of academic research all summarized for the general reader in little over 100+ lucid and readable pages.

The reviewer below obvously does not understand and has little appreciation for the work of a world class scholar writing for a general audience and he has also mischaracterized the content of the author's argument. The previous reviewer appears terribly dissaponted that this is not the anti-Western screed he expected. It is about the basic and fundamental ingredients that went into the making of what is known to the world as "The West". And yes, that includes the contributions of Christianity. It shows an appreciation for what the West has contributed to the world. This is apparently what passes for biased cold War "propaganda" to the reviewer below. Only a reviling and demonizing of the West would pass as "objective" history for many like minded readers. In truth the previous reviewer is looking for anything but obkectivity and balence.

Just one look at the scholarly reviews and comments so far would indicate that this book is far from what the previous reviewer would have you believe it is. He/she has his own agenda to push. For the reader who wants an easy to digest summary of what the West is and a lucid analysis what ingredients it is built upon, but one which also rests on a soild foundation of knowledge and academic research this is an excelelnt place to start.

I find it amazing that one could write such a biased book while trying to sell it
as a work of scholarship. The book lacks (among other things) some of the basic tenets one expects from a serious and honest scholar: critical and clear thinking and a balanced analysis.

In sum, it is just an old-fashioned piece of propaganda/ideology/myth, a genre
I (naively) supposed was exhausted since the end of the cold war. I consider particularly insulting the way the author treats the reader: as a complete fool.
Well, maybe I am a fool, because I purchased it. Hope others won't make the same mistake.