Western Civilization

Why Does Dante Place Odysseus in Hell?0
- Culture, Entertainment, Featured, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Western Civilization
- August 12, 2026
One of the most talked-about movies of the year, for so many different reasons, is Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s “Odyssey.” The film has generated identity-politics controversies, classicist controversies, and Christian controversies (from Christians and anti-Christians). One of the lightning rods for arguments and thought-pieces is the proposed “Christianization” of Odysseus, illustrated by his guilt for the trickery of
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Can Art Reveal America’s Soul?0
- Culture, Featured, History, Philosophy, Uncategorized, Western Civilization
- August 12, 2026
As someone who loves the Fourth of July and the story of our country’s founding, I was pleasantly surprised to see all the hoopla that came out of the woodwork last minute to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday. Firework shows were more fantastic, commemorative memorabilia abounded, and social media was full of people proclaiming their
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A Voyage to Nowhere: The Decline of American Culture 0
- Culture, Featured, Literature, Western Civilization
- August 10, 2026
In Paul Clayton’s collection of short stories, “Seeing Sunny Again,” we meet Carl Melcher. It’s the early 1960s, and Carl, who will enter high school in a week or so, has spent the summer hanging out on a beach longing without success to find a girlfriend. On this particular evening, he decides to try his
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How Travel Teaches Humility 0
- Culture, Featured, History, International, Western Civilization
- July 31, 2026
“According to the law of custom, and perhaps of reason,” writes the great historian Edward Gibbon, “foreign travel completes the education of an English gentleman.” Gibbon was writing about the Grand Tour, a tradition among the sons of Britain’s landed gentry and the wealthy classes of Protestant Europe. Before taking up the responsibilities expected of
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Equality’s Envy Problem 0
- Culture, Economics, Featured, Politics, Western Civilization
- July 30, 2026
When the Met Gala committee announced that billionaire Jeff Bezos would co-host the 2026 Gala, activist groups began protesting and several big names refused invitations to the event. New York City’s mayor, democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, joined the boycott, citing his commitment to creating “affordability” for ordinary New Yorkers (by taxing the richest residents). The irony
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ChatGPT Is the Serpent in the Garden of Eden 0
- Culture, Featured, Science, Western Civilization
- July 28, 2026
A 29-year-old mother committed suicide by walking into oncoming traffic after allegedly being encouraged to do so by ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI. Her family is suing the company, pointing to a dark relationship the troubled woman, Christian Faith Madison, developed with the AI robot. In Madison’s parasocial relationship, as with many others that
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