bad_dad_brad
Member
I just finished a most fascinating book on modern philosophy, and I highly recommend that you read it. The book is:
"Civilization and its Enemies - The Next Stage of History"
by Lee Harris
Copyright - "Free Press" - 2004 - ISBN 0-7432-5749-9
This is an excellent read on describing the current world situation. It explains much. It is neither right or left winged bent, but does criticize zealousness on both political spectrums. It is a study in history, and describes why, and I believe this to be true, that the United States is the best and brightest hope at this stage of mankind, to point the world towards civilization.
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Order the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-9034843-3339239?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
A current essay by the author.
http://www.policyreview.org/apr03/harris.html
An excerpt from the book:
Forgetfulness occurs when those who have been long inured to civilized order can no longer remember a time in which they had to wonder whether their crops would grow to maturity without being stolen or their children sold into slavery by a victorious foe....They forget that in time of danger, in the face of the enemy, they must trust and confide in each other, or perish....They forget, in short, that there has ever been a category of human experience called the enemy.
"That, before 9/11, was what had happened to us. The very concept of the enemy had been banished from our moral and political vocabulary. An enemy was just a friend we hadn't done enough for yet. Or perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or an oversight on our part -- something that we could correct....
"Our first task is therefore to try to grasp what the concept of the enemy really means. The enemy is someone who is willing to die in order to kill you. And while it is true that the enemy always hates us for a reason, it is his reason, and not ours."
"Civilization and its Enemies - The Next Stage of History"
by Lee Harris
Copyright - "Free Press" - 2004 - ISBN 0-7432-5749-9
This is an excellent read on describing the current world situation. It explains much. It is neither right or left winged bent, but does criticize zealousness on both political spectrums. It is a study in history, and describes why, and I believe this to be true, that the United States is the best and brightest hope at this stage of mankind, to point the world towards civilization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Order the book:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-9034843-3339239?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
A current essay by the author.
http://www.policyreview.org/apr03/harris.html
An excerpt from the book:
Forgetfulness occurs when those who have been long inured to civilized order can no longer remember a time in which they had to wonder whether their crops would grow to maturity without being stolen or their children sold into slavery by a victorious foe....They forget that in time of danger, in the face of the enemy, they must trust and confide in each other, or perish....They forget, in short, that there has ever been a category of human experience called the enemy.
"That, before 9/11, was what had happened to us. The very concept of the enemy had been banished from our moral and political vocabulary. An enemy was just a friend we hadn't done enough for yet. Or perhaps there had been a misunderstanding, or an oversight on our part -- something that we could correct....
"Our first task is therefore to try to grasp what the concept of the enemy really means. The enemy is someone who is willing to die in order to kill you. And while it is true that the enemy always hates us for a reason, it is his reason, and not ours."
