In the aftermath of World War II; the United States stood at a precipice. The forces of modernity unleashed by the war had led to astonishing advances in daily life; but technology and mass culture also threatened to erode the country's traditional moral character. As award-winning historian George M. Marsden explains in The Twilight of the American Enlightenment; postwar Americans looked to the country's secular; liberal elites for guidance in this precarious time; but these intellectuals proved unable to articulate a coherent common cause by which America could chart its course. Their failure lost them the faith of their constituents; paving the way for a Christian revival that offered America a firm new moral vision—one rooted in the Protestant values of the founders.A groundbreaking reappraisal of the country's spiritual reawakening; The Twilight of the American Enlightenment shows how America found new purpose at the dawn of the Cold War.
#69408 in Books Thomas Sowell 1999-04-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.25 x 5.00l; 1.25 #File Name: 0465014003516 pagesConquests and Cultures An International History
Review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Good narrative and lots of data; sobering and sort of upliftingBy Justin L HopkinsThis book is a good historical narrative; backed up with lots of data; a steady (definitely not shrill) sense of ethics and an understanding of the scope of human behavior.I think modern people look back at conquest and colonization; and tend to dismiss it as all equally evil; without much analysis. We sometimes even prefer to not talk about it. This does a disservice to understanding what actually happens. This book is a fascinating comparison of several different eras of conquest and colonization. I walked away with several great little lessons about history that are not at all obvious; among them:1) When the imperial power withdraws; even peacefully; the colonies tend to become worse off; economically (and in some cases; much worse off). This is in part due to the exodus of human capital from the colony; and in part due to the retributions against those who stayed. Also; good governance is really hard and utterly non-intuitive.2) Those pushing for independence from the colonial power tend to be natives newly-educated in the colonial power's system; while the locals who are least connected to the colonial power tend to be much more indifferent.3) Some imperial powers spread; culturally and militarily; because local groups don't hate them nearly as much as they hate their neighboring tribes. A lot of narrators; influenced by the idea of the noble savage; regularly skip this. Animosity between neighbors can be severe.4) There are many examples of groups of people; who; painfully aware of their backwardness; decided that enough was enough and that they were going to improve their lives. And some succeeded tremendously - as in the Scottish Enlightenment. Mr. Sowell argues that there are cases of people; disadvantaged by geography; history; and culture; who improve their lives far beyond what any sociologist or geographer would predict.I am not a historian; so I lack the specialization to deeply evaluate each case study in his narrative. But as a person who likes to read history; I found this readable; full of data; and persuasive.As a side note; Mr. Sowell's writes about "negative human capital"; which is very interesting; and deserving of more attention. I do not know if he originated the idea.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Sowell does a tour de force of the human history ...By J. DenningSowell does a tour de force of the human history of the populated continents showing how climate; land forms; religious beliefs; and chance influenced the way human societies developed in various parts of the world. His thesis is probably open to question as any reference to historical trends would be; but he offers sound reasoning and facts for his conclusions. I was greatly enlightened; as I have been by all of Dr. Sowell's books.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Tells the truth about SalveryBy Davidg1218Excellent book by the good Doctor. Not a light read but chock full of goodies and worth the time. Discloses the ignorance surrounding the "Slave" issues and the grievance industry.
