Spencer Klavan’s How to Save the West: Ancient Wisdom for 5 Modern Crises identifies five crises he believes are plaguing the West and slowly undermining America: Reality, the Body, Meaning, Religion, and Regimes. Klavan argues that beneath the change, the chaos, and the whirlwind of our lives, there is a logos, a deep-seated reason and logic that informs everything. If we embrace it—and it requires work and courage to do so—we will find the truth about ourselves and what we should do with the time we have been given. And, he argues, this gift comes to us from the wisest of sources in Western thinking.
His voice throughout the text is measured, eloquent, often hopeful, and humble. In the introduction, he states that “the most important battleground in the culture war is the one most often forgotten. Within every human soul, within every family, within every day, there is a battle being fought over what principles, what beliefs, and what rituals will be accepted, taught, and passed on. In that fight, you are the last line of defense.” Klavan doesn’t counsel war, though. Instead, he urges study, reflection, and virtuous action within the context and web of relationships and community that fills your life.
Read Full Article »