Western Civilization

The Heroism of Civilization 1
- Culture, Western Civilization
- December 11, 2023
A long-held but somewhat flexible fantasy I have engaged in periodically since about middle school has me doing some truly unusual, heroic thing—perhaps pulling someone from a fire or heroically diving into the rapids to save some helpless person from drowning or even taking a bullet to protect a child. (I’m afraid of heights, so
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An Attitude of Gratitude and Gratitude with Attitude: Thanksgiving 2023 1
- Culture, Western Civilization
- November 21, 2023
An idea sent me to my calculator. The United States is 247 years old. I am 72 years old. Simple division revealed that I have lived in this country for 29.2 percent of its history as a nation. Good grief! Hand me a cane and call me Methuselah! Another three years, if I am so
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Why Are People Ripping Down Israeli Hostage Posters?1
- Culture, Western Civilization
- October 31, 2023
Of the many troubling protests seen since the Hamas pogrom of October 7, surely among the most callous are those involving pro-Palestine activists ripping down posters of Israeli hostages. Some 235 Israelis were taken captive by Hamas terrorists, according to the American Jewish Committee. To date, only four abductees have been released. Of course, this
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The Doctor of Deconstruction: Who Is Jacques Derrida?4
- Philosophy, Western Civilization
- October 26, 2023
It seems that words today change meanings every day. For instance, the words “man” and “woman” are now taken to mean a variety of mutually exclusive realities. What was clear and simple is now conflicting and confusing. How did we arrive here, why does it matter, and who is responsible? Enter French philosopher Jacques Derrida.
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Civilization Is Permanence, Barbarism Is Instability 5
- Culture, Western Civilization
- October 18, 2023
In Part 1 of his 1969 documentary series on the history of Western art, Kenneth Clark defines civilization in a rather illuminating manner: Civilization means something more than energy and will and creative power, something the early Norsemen hadn’t got, but which, even in their time, was beginning to reappear in Western Europe. How can
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Civilization or Barbarism? This Time the Choice Is Clear.4
- International, Breaking News, Western Civilization
- October 11, 2023
The attack launched by Hamas on Israel—the brutal slaughter of men, women, and children, and the degradations which followed some of those murders—sickened many of us who watched the videos and read the reports about the horrors committed by these savages. Not everyone shared our revulsion. In Tehran, mobs and politicians celebrated the atrocities with
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