Ben Shapiro, The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great. New York: Broadside Books, 2019. 256 pages. (aff)
In this best-selling book, Shapiro addresses two fundamental questions: 1) Why are things so bad? 2) Why are we blowing it? (xi). He notes that “For nearly all of human history, life has been nasty, brutish, and short” (xi). He cites the fact that, in 1900, 10% of infants died before their first birthday and 1 in 100 mothers died in childbirth. In contrast, Shapiro notes that modern America has never provided a safer, healthier, more prosperous period in which to live. Nonetheless, death by suicide and drug overdoses are at epidemic levels. Shapiro claims that society is extremely divided, with arguably the two most universally unpopular presidential candidates running against each other in the 2016 presidential election (xiii).
Shapiro suggests there are at least four major explanations for the current societal angst: 1. A growing economic divide among social classes. 2. Growing levels of racism. 3. The rapid growth and intrusion of technology into people’s lives. 4. Human nature kicking in and causing people to revert to their innate tribal tendencies (xv). Shapiro challenges these popular diagnoses and instead offers his own conclusion. He states, “This book argues that western civilization, including our modern notions of values and reason and science, was built on deep foundations. And this book argues that we’re tossing away what’s best about our civilization because we’ve forgotten that those foundations ever existed” (xviii).
Shapiro suggests that “. . . ideas matter and important ideas—as best articulated by great thinkers—represent the motivational road along which humanity journeys. We act because we believe” (xxiv). He adds, “We believe freedom is built upon the twin notions that God created every human being in His image, and that human beings are capable of investigating and exploring God’s world. These notions were born in Jerusalem and Athens, respectively” (xxiv).
Shapiro’s thesis is that western civilization is the greatest, most advanced civilization in human history. He believes it was built primarily on two philosophical pillars: Judeo-Christian morality and worldview and the practice of reason promulgated by ancient Athens. Throughout the book, Shapiro argues that modern society is jettisoning both its belief in God and its high view of reason. The result is that society is being tossed about by irrational feelings.
He argues that “Civilizations that have rejected Jerusalem and Athens, and the tension between them, have collapsed into dust” (xxv). He warns, “The fight against entropy is never over. Our way of life is never more than one generation away from the precipice” (xxv). He adds, “Philosophically, the west has been running on fumes for generations” (xxvi).
Shapiro asserts that both the Judeo-Christian view and the Greek philosophers concluded that happiness came from moral purpose (5). The Hebrews believed happiness stemmed from right actions in accordance with God’s will. The Greeks, particularly Aristotle, believed that something was “good” if it fulfilled its purpose (7). Shapiro suggests that four things are necessary for happiness: 1) individual moral purpose; 2) individual capacity to pursue that purpose; 3) communal moral purpose; 4) communal capacity to pursue that purpose (9). Shapiro suggests that “We are endowed not merely with rights, but with duties” (10). He concludes, “If we are a set of firing neurons and flowing hormones and nothing more, why appeal to reason? . . . Reason is just an illusion” (12). He adds, “Darwinian evolution leaves no room for the true; it only leaves room for the evolutionary beneficial. Survival of the fittest isn’t a moral principle” (13).
In looking at how American democracy can flourish, Shapiro quotes John Adams, who argued that “Our constitution was made only for moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the governance of any other” (15). Shapiro adds, “Tyranny rarely begins with jackboots; it usually begins with ardent wishes for a better future, combined with an unfailing faith in the power of mass mobilization” (16). Shapiro warns that if America discards its moral and philosophical moorings, disaster will be the inevitable result.
Shapiro then analyzes the contribution the Jewish faith brought to Western civilization. He notes that at Mount Sinai, four key principles were learned: 1) God was unified, and He had a master plan; 2) humans were to be held to a moral standard; 3) history progressed; 4) God endowed people with a choice (20). He notes that in primitive cultures, many gods explained people’s diverse experiences. At Sinai, however, God revealed that nature consisted of a unified whole directed by a rational, purposeful God. Shapiro argues that “The promulgaters of multiculturalism in education all too often aren’t promoters of breadth of learning, but lack of learning” (40). If everything is true, nothing is true.
The Greeks promoted three foundational values: 1) we can discover purpose in life by looking at the nature of the world; 2) we have to study the world by using our reason; 3) reason can help us construct the best collective systems for cultivating that reason (42).
Shapiro argues that Christianity represented the first attempt to merge Greek and Jewish thought (57). He suggests that Christianity universalized the message of Judaism. He also notes that Christianity was the only religion actively seeking converts (62). As a result, by 300 AD, there were six million Christians worldwide, a 40% growth rate per decade.
Shapiro makes a bold effort to survey western history, tracing the ups and downs of thought in western civilization. I won’t chronicle all the philosophers Shapiro analyzes. He traces the growth of the belief that government knows what is best for society and that private property is the root of evil. He also follows the growth in the embrace of moral relativism. He examines existentialism and the sexualization of society through flawed scientists such as Kinsey and Marcuse. Despite all the modern philosophies bombarding American society, Shapiro argues that “Human beings keep showing that they need something more” (175). He adds, “Material human progress in the absence of spiritual fulfillment isn’t enough. People need meaning” (176).
Shapiro examines the results uprooting from its moral and philosophical foundations has had on society. He bluntly states, “A society that refuses to acknowledge the biological differences between men and women is engaging in knowing falsehood” (183). Shapiro analyzes the recent student protests and violence on American university campuses such as Berkeley. The students’ mantra was “Speech is violence!” Protesters viewed reason as intolerant and violent (184). Shapiro also argues that the fixation on self-esteem is misguided. He concludes, “. . . it turns out not that self-esteem makes people more high-achieving, but that more high achieving people tend to have higher self-esteem thanks to their achievements” (195).
Shapiro asks of modern societal anger, “Where did it come from? It came from the destruction of a common vision” (211). He concludes that “Our individual and communal happiness depends on us regaining the values we’re losing all too quickly” (211). Shapiro retains hope that if we properly teach our children, they will be better equipped to build a healthy, strong, united society. What should we teach our children? 1) Your life has a purpose. 2) You can do it. 3) Your civilization is unique. 4) We are all brothers and sisters (214).
Shapiro is a brilliant political analyst who is well read. He is at his best when analyzing and placing current events in context. This book addresses one of his chief concerns. His thesis is justified and compelling. He draws on a wide array of philosophers and thinkers to support his point. For the most part, he is successful.
Although I generally enjoyed this book, it fell short in a few areas. Though Shapiro is normally an engaging and insightful podcaster, this book did not always capture that intensity. He could have driven his point home more compellingly in a few places. Perhaps he doesn’t dig deeper because he is offering a broad stroke survey of centuries of thought. His conclusion could have been more developed and practical. Like so many people who are skilled at analyzing problems, he offers a better diagnosis than prognosis. Shapiro is also an Orthodox Jew. He gives the Jewish people a great deal of credit for western civilization’s success. He also acknowledges that Christianity took those beliefs much further. While he has a general grasp of Christianity’s teachings, he is clearly writing from a Jewish perspective of Christianity, rather than as an insider. Nevertheless, this book offers a helpful survey of many of the thought patterns that have brought Western civilization to its current nadir. If you are looking for a Conservative perspective on the current state of American society, you may find this book to be helpful.
Rating: 3
