Confusion in the West: Retrieving Tradition in the Modern and Post-Modern World

John and Anna Rist's book explores the loss of the foundational culture of the West, which they describe as the original tradition. They argue that the causes of this disintegration are discussed with an intensity rare in academe, and that modern totalitarianism, scientism, bureaucracy, and consumerism are the only rivals to a threatening nihilism. The book argues that Western thought has created a set of conflicting moral and spiritual customs, which has led to coherence issues in individual minds and society and culture.

Format: Hardback
Length: 278 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2022
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

In their comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration, spanning from antiquity to the present day, John and Anna Rist delve into the profound loss of the foundational culture of the West. They define this culture as the original tradition, recognizing its erosion as a source of profound anxiety regarding the entire value of Western thought. The authors approach the causes of this disintegration with an intensity rarely found in academic discourse. While critics of modernity often focus on the Enlightenment, this book goes beyond that. It portrays modern totalitarianism as carrying the spirit of the French Revolution, with its unwavering hostility to a vanished primordial heritage. Moreover, scientism, bureaucracy, and consumerism emerge as the sole rivals to a menacing nihilism. The book makes a compelling argument that Western thought has inadvertently cultivated a complex web of conflicting moral and spiritual customs, hindering coherence both within individual minds and within society and culture as a whole.

In their comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration, spanning from antiquity to the present day, John and Anna Rist delve into the profound loss of the foundational culture of the West. They define this culture as the original tradition, recognizing its erosion as a source of profound anxiety regarding the entire value of Western thought. The authors approach the causes of this disintegration with an intensity rarely found in academic discourse. While critics of modernity often focus on the Enlightenment, this book goes beyond that. It portrays modern totalitarianism as carrying the spirit of the French Revolution, with its unwavering hostility to a vanished primordial heritage. Moreover, scientism, bureaucracy, and consumerism emerge as the sole rivals to a menacing nihilism. The book makes a compelling argument that Western thought has inadvertently cultivated a complex web of conflicting moral and spiritual customs, hindering coherence both within individual minds and within society and culture as a whole.

Weight: 568g
Dimension: 160 x 237 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009218375