Suicide of the West - Jonah Goldberg

Suicide of the West

By Jonah Goldberg

  • Release Date: 2018-04-24
  • Genre: Political Science
Score: 4
4
From 42 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An urgent argument that America and other democracies are in peril because they have lost the will to defend the values and institutions that sustain freedom and prosperity.
 
“Epic and debate-shifting.”—David Brooks, New York Times
 
Only once in the last 250,000 years have humans stumbled upon a way to lift ourselves out of the endless cycle of poverty, hunger, and war that defines most of history. If democracy, individualism, and the free market were humankind’s destiny, they should have appeared and taken hold a bit earlier in the evolutionary record. The emergence of freedom and prosperity was nothing short of a miracle.
 
As Americans we are doubly blessed, because the radical ideas that made the miracle possible were written not just into the Constitution but in our hearts, laying the groundwork for our uniquely prosperous society. Those ideas are:
 
• Our rights come from God, not from the government. 

• The government belongs to us; we do not belong to it. 

• The individual is sovereign. We are all captains of our own souls, not bound by the circumstances of our birth. 

• The fruits of our labors belong to us.

 
In the last few decades, these political virtues have been turned into vices. As we are increasingly taught to view our traditions as a system of oppression, exploitation, and privilege, the principles of liberty and the rule of law are under attack from left and right. For the West to survive, we must renew our sense of gratitude for what our civilization has given us and rediscover the ideals and habits of the heart that led us out of the bloody muck of the past—or back to the muck we will go.

Reviews

  • Terribly boring

    1
    By Liquidpoo
    I’m an insomniac and it puts me to sleep. Thanks for getting me off of seroquel, Jonah.
  • I’m Glad to be a part of the American Tribe

    5
    By Romuleus 57
    Bought both the hard copy (for days when I give my technology a rest) and the audiobook for the daily commute. Must reading for those perplexed with our current political and social state of affairs.
  • A timeless book

    5
    By mcsandberg
    This asks the question - Why were were poor for almost all of our history? Whey did it take us over 250,000 to discover the miracle of prosperity? The answer isn’t what you expect! I learned a lot from this extremely well researched book. You wouldn’t expect if from a work like this, but its one of those books that you just can’t put down.
  • Disappointed in Jonah

    3
    By SpaceGregster
    This book is a perfect example of what an intellectual elite “looks” like. I used to like be hearing and reading Mr. Goldberg’s thoughts and opinions but ever since President Trump appearance on the political scene, Jonah has lost his objectivity. And worse yet, as this book shows, Jonah is only impressed with Jonah. In my humble opinion this book reads like a “look at how smart I am” time rather than a good consolidation of historical data into a single book covering a very important subject. What could have been said in one paragraph grinds on and on page after page. At the end of his random thoughts I forget where we started. I think written properly, this book could be 300-400 pages shorter. And ending with a chapter covering his nemesis, President Trump, shows his lack of objectivity and elitist attitude.

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