How the West Really Lost God, by Mary Eberstadt

Mary Eberstadt presents a convincing theory that family formation and family life help to pass on and enforce religious belief from one generation to the next rather than just being an effect of religious belief. She points out how marriage, family formation, and birth rates tend to rise and fall in tandem with religious practice among populations, and how this correlation tends to hold more consistently through history than other explanations of why belief in God rises and falls, such as political or economic changes, wars, industrialization, etc. The book can be a dry read at times, because it does deal with statistics, but very worthwhile for those who are interested in the subject. 

One Word of Truth- Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Nobel Lecture

This speech is just as good as A World Split Apart, and that's really saying something.  He describes the existential gulf between people living under oppressive governments and those in free countries.  There is a disconnect between the two, and the latter group very often cannot understand where the former is coming from.  As a representative of the former group transplanted into the world of the latter, Solzhenitsyn cites art as the means by which the gap can be bridged.
It is the means by which one can enter into another person's experience.

He also talks about the "spirit of Munich" and how it has dominated the 20th century (inclination of the free world to appease and tolerate unjust violence elsewhere provided it left the West alone) and how violence inevitably requires lies to maintain its position of power-- to deceive people about its true nature and give itself legitimacy.

The task of the artist above all is to remain honest in the face of violence and lies.

"Let the lie come into the world, even dominate the world, but not through me."

The Solzhenitsyn Center has released a video made with an excellent (English) reading of this speech, which is available to view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ITbFdTaB_E.

Understanding Europe, by Christopher Dawson

This is an outstanding analysis of Europe and Western civilization.  The book is divided in two parts.

In the first part, Dawson describes what Europe is: a society of peoples whose culture was shaped both by Christianity and the Greco-Roman heritage.  Through comparisons, he explains what differentiates it from Asia, describes the special case of Russia, and discusses the regional differences among the different peoples.  These were produced by the splintering of Christianity during the Reformation and the different styles of government in the different regions, contrasting the parliamentary governments that sprung up in Western Europe with the large military empires that developed in Central and Eastern Europe.  He also devotes two chapters to Europe's overseas colonies: the dual nature of European colonialism and how each nation's colonial effort differed in character from one another.

The second part of the book is about the decline of Western culture and the revolt, starting in the eighteenth century, against the ideas and norms that used to unify Europe.  He describes the rise of the large totalitarian and authoritarian states, how the ideas behind this style of government originated in Hegelian philosophy, and how the two world wars came about.

For a relatively short (230 page) book, he covers a lot of ground, and it's definitely a book that you have to read more than once in order to properly digest the material.  It's best to have a reasonably good general knowledge of the history of the various European countries in order to appreciate this book properly.

A World Split Apart- Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Harvard Commencement Address, 1978

I think this is one of the best speeches ever written. On anything. Alexander Solzhenitsyn turns his keen powers of observation and understanding, sharpened by long years of oppression under a totalitarian regime, on the West and diagnoses the cause of its ills: a decline in moral courage. Despite having been written 40 years ago, it's even more relevant now than it was then.

Even better than reading this is hearing the man himself deliver it at Harvard in 1978-- the video of the complete speech, with a simultaneous translator translating it into English is available on Youtube. Awesome stuff.

And if you can, listen also to Dr. Peter Kreeft's excellent commentary on it and the impression it made on him as a member of that audience in 1978--also available on Youtube.

Nos pluralistes, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Alexander Solzhenitsyn criticizes the moral emptiness of pluralism and its impotence when faced with the evils of socialism. He also criticizes the work of some of his fellow Soviet exiles, who blame the failures of socialism on the defects of the Russian people and their culture, rather than on the nature of socialism itself. 

This book is an excerpt from a longer work, The Oak and the Calf, and I did find parts of it difficult to follow because I am not familiar with the work of the people Solzhenitsyn cites, but it was a worthwhile read nonetheless.  Maybe reading it as part of The Oak and the Calf would provide more context.

The Judgment of the Nations, by Christopher Dawson

This book is my introduction to British historian Christopher Dawson, and I think it's brilliant. Definitely going to be reading more of his work. He finished this in 1942, so he was working on it when WW2 broke out and in those tense and depressing years leading up to it. His purpose in writing it was to offer some reasons why the countries of the West, whose culture and values were formed by Christianity and the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome ended up fighting two horribly self-destructive world wars. 

He discusses the tensions that began to develop between nations as their styles of government diverged (constitutional vs. autocratic monarchies, nation-states vs. multilingual multiethnic empires, fundamentally civilian vs. military states), and as Christianity splintered into multiple denominations. Differences in belief do cause differences in worldview, which have practical ramifications. He also expounds on the Enlightenment, the scientific materialist world view that came with it, the impact of the Industrial Revolution, and of the Socialist movements of all stripes that aspired to bring the rapidly growing economies under state control.

Black Rednecks, White Liberals, by Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell challenges a lot of popular misconceptions about the real origins of African American ghetto culture, the global history of the slave trade, racism and how it relates to slavery, the role of the West in its colonial period, disparities of accomplishment among different demographic groups, and the reasons why some groups of people achieve more than others even in the face of adverse conditions.  It's a well-reasoned, well-researched book, and Sowell supports his arguments with real world examples.  Excellent antidote for habitual victims, moral poseurs, the professionally offended, and grievance-mongers of all stripes--if only they would read it.

The Hall of Uselessness, by Simon Leys

Great collection of essays from an author whom I think is one of the best essayists ever!  The topics in this collection are wide ranging, from literature to China to history to the sea.  My favorites were the ones on Chinese art and history (a subject I know little about, so I learned a lot reading them), and the ones on Cervantes, Victor Hugo, and Magellan.  Included in this collection is the one where he (rightfully, in my opinion) excoriates Christopher Hitchens's negative comments about Mother Teresa.

The World's Last Night, by C. S. Lewis

I enjoyed this little collection of essays by C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite essayists ever.  As always, they display his gift for clear, logical expositions in straightforward language and his way of bypassing currently popular ways of looking at things by showing how they can be considered differently.  Reading Lewis nearly always helps to broaden my mind and this collection is no exception.  My two favorite essays in this book are <i>Lilies That Fester</i> and <i>The Efficacy of Prayer</i>.

Europe: Today and Tomorrow, by Pope Benedict XVI

In this book, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) analyzes the source of the malaise that has affected the West through most of the 20th century: the currents of thought that brought it about, why it persists, and how it can be cured.  Very worthwhile read and gives a lot of food for thought. Given its short length, it took much longer than I thought to finish it because I often had to stop and think about what I had just read and how it related to popular ways of thinking and acting.

Le bonheur des petits poissons, by Simon Leys

Une très bonne collection par un essayiste cultivé et subtil. C'est le premier livre de Simon Leys que j'ai jamais lu et je vais définitivement lire plus. J'aurais préféré une collection un peu plus grande; le livre est beaucoup plus mince que j'attendais. J'aime bien L'empire du laid, Les mensonges qui disent la vérité, et Du goût.

Trojan Horse in the City of God, by Dietrich von Hildebrand

Dietrich von Hildebrand explains the philosophical errors behind the misinterpretation of the documents of Vatican II and how they led to changes in the liturgy/ other religious practices of Catholics--and not for the better. I'm a Catholic who was born long after the council, so I have no firsthand experience of the preconciliar church; however I'm also a classical music and vintage movie aficionado who learned something about what it was like by listening to sacred music by various composers and watching old film footage. I definitely learned a lot reading this book. Dr. von Hildebrand must have been a great professor. He writes clearly and concisely such that even I, with no philosophical training, could follow his arguments.

Domestic Tranquility: A Brief Against Feminism, by F. Carolyn Graglia

Carolyn Graglia puts forth a thorough critique of the feminist movement.  Her arguments are logical, well organized, and reasonable, and they certainly are in accord with my own real-life observations and experiences.  She makes the point that women having the choice to go to work is one thing, but manipulating conditions so that women will have to go to work even if they would rather stay home to bring up their children is another thing entirely, and that in many ways the feminist movement has  been undermining women's interests.  Great read for those who are interested in women's issues.

Slouching Towards Gomorrah: Modern Liberalism and American Decline, by Robert Bork

In depth exploration of the ideas of modern liberalism (in the American sense), the political movements of the 1960's and how the people who believe in these ideas managed to gain ascendancy over institutions that shape American culture such as the courts, the media, the movie and music industries, and the universities.

If you've ever wondered why the professors at your university (particularly in the humanities courses) didn't make much logical sense, why their discussions seemed to have little to do with the book you were supposed to be discussing in class, or why modern movies and music are of much lower quality, as far as content goes, than vintage stuff, Slouching Towards Gomorrah goes quite a long way towards an explanation.

On Looking Into the Abyss: Untimely Thoughts on Culture and Society, by Gertrude Himmelfarb

This is an excellent series of essays on various thinkers and philosophical ideas that have filtered out of academia and become influential in the modern world to the detriment of clear and logical thinking based on objective truth.

Her essay on John Stuart Mill, <i>Liberty: One Simple Principle</i> is especially good as an introduction to Mill's work, particularly <i>On Liberty</i> and the effects it has had on how people define "liberty" today.  Also particularly enjoyable is the essay on footnotes <i>Where Have All The Footnotes Gone?</i>, which suggests that their increasing absence in scholarly works, and scholars' increasing insistence on dispensing with them, is a symptom of the blurring of the line between history and fiction, footnotes being one of the ways a scholar's work can be checked by readers.

The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

In these three brief essays, C.S. Lewis takes up the issue of moral relativism, how our view of what is considered rational and objectively true has narrowed significantly in modern times, and how that affects our outlook on morality, culture, art, etc.  He makes the point that children can be accustomed to this narrow view quite early in life before they can be aware of what is being done to them and the result is an adult with an impoverished moral imagination.

Stages on the Road, by Sigrid Undset

This is a collection of six essays written by Sigrid Undset in the 1930's.  The theme that is common to all is that each details how various ideas or attitudes that had been established by the Catholic Church and that helped shape Western culture were lost when the faith in which they originated was lost or adulterated--starting with the Reformation.

In the first four essays, she presents a Catholic idea or custom, how it disappeared or is disappearing, then shows how that idea was manifested through the life of a prominent Catholic, many of whom are now canonized as saints.  I liked how she picked less well-known people because it gave me the opportunity to learn about them.  The four are:
- Spanish mystic Ramon Lull de Palma, who established a monastery in North Africa to enable friars to study Hebrew and Arabic, and whose goal was to spread the faith through persuasion and argument as Christ had directed
- English martyrs St. Robert Southwell and St. Margaret Clitherow, victims of the state taking control of the church
- Italian founder of the Ursuline order, St. Angela Merici, whose life shows how women with unconventional callings were respected in Catholic societies

<I>To St. James</I> is about the harmfulness of the sin of gossip--one that is only all too neglected today.
The last,  <I>Reply to a Parish Priest</I> deals with later developments in the Christian world that are controversial issues even today, such as changes in the definition of marriage, and euthanasia.

Warning to the West, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

This book consists of four speeches and one BBC interview given by Solzhenitsyn to American and British audiences during the mid 1970's.  In them, he talks about his observations about dangerous tendencies in Western culture and intellectual climate that could lead to weakness and lack of preparedness to face the Communist threat.  Among them are the West's refusal to recognize the true nature of Communism despite straightforward exposition of it, lack of moral clarity, a materialist view of the world and of human nature, unwillingness to take a strong stance against the threat, and lack of interest in the plight of its victims.  He also points out some trends in the culture of that time (which are still trends today) that mirror conditions in imperial Russia before the Revolution.

I think this book is still very relevant today because even though the Cold War is over, we're not through with totalitarian movements yet, as can be seen in the destructive Islamist movements in the Middle East.  Solzhenitsyn points out that the temptation to create heaven on earth no matter what the cost is a recurring theme throughout history, and we must be in constant vigilance to guard against it.

The Case for Democracy, by Natan Sharansky

Natan Sharansky, an erstwhile political prisoner in the Soviet Union, writes about how to accurately tell a free society from a "fear" society (one in which people do not enjoy basic liberties and are kept in check by their leaders through fear of punishment). He makes a good case for why it is in the interest of free societies to conduct their foreign policy in such a way as to link benefits granted to fear societies with requirements that the fear society reform its domestic practices.

Fear societies tend to be poorer and less innovative than free ones, so they often need aid, technology, and other things from free societies, but two of the ways they keep their population in check is 1) to distribute the benefits received so as to keep their population dependent on the dictator's good graces and 2) to present the free society to their people as an enemy in order to produce a state of internal solidarity and hostility against it (as if there were a war going on). Appeasement of dictators is therefore counterproductive as it leads to a vicious circle of increasing their power, aggravating tensions between the countries, and further appeasement by the free society.

It was particularly interesting to read this book shortly after George Kennan's At a Century's Ending: Reflections, 1982-1995 because Kennan has a more traditional view on foreign policy, i.e. stay out of other countries' domestic policy and just concern yourself with their foreign policy. Sharansky uses the relations between the US and USSR during the Cold War and the (seemingly endless) Israeli-Palestinian peace process as examples to illustrate why the traditional approach doesn't work when dealing with fear societies.

New Vichy Syndrome: Why European Intellectuals Surrender to Barbarism, by Theodore Dalrymple

This book is an interesting series of short articles on the pessimism that pervades the intellectual world in Europe, and the United States to some extent too.  There are several causes suggested in public discourse that are said to have caused this intellectual climate, and Dalrymple examines each one, among them the cynicism said to result from the destruction of two world wars (a cynicism in little evidence while the wars were actually going on), moral relativism resulting from lack of an objective moral standard, and a selective understanding of European history that strongly emphasizes the wrongdoing and leaves out the accomplishments.

The result is that many Western intellectuals don't recognize that they have inherited anything of value from their forbears and therefore are incapable of defending it.  Hence the allusion to the Vichy government in the title.  Oddly enough, this nihilistic point of view does not cause humility in those who hold it, but pride, because they are aware that Western civilization is humbug, and no one else is.  If you have met people like this, as I have, and you can't figure out where they're coming from, this book offers an explanation.