The Return of Civilization

Historical narratives and comparative civilizations analysis had been dead for decades after the history coup of the 1960s. In my reading of events, this was to cover up the obvious benefits of Christianity and capitalism that were highlighted by influential pre-coup historians like Arnold Toynbee and Carol Quigley.

Fortunately, in recent years the “civilization” is starting to return to popular discourse. The postmodernist moratorium on analytical history is beginning to crack. A 2014 article is titled “The Return of Civilization - and of Arnold Toynbee?” I take the question mark to indicate that they are sure the concept of civilization is making a comeback, but Toynbee’s comeback (and that of Christianity in historical analysis) is more speculative. That is my reading of the present moment as well. In this millennium or close to it, several popular books with civilizational themes have been published and have been well-received. Examples include:

• Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), by Jared Diamond
• Civilization: The West and the Rest (2012), by Niall Fergusen
• Why the West Rules - For Now (2010), by Ian Morris
• The WEIRDest People in the World (2020), by Joseph Heinrich (Update 9-10-21: see here for more thoughts)

These all admit the uniqueness and advanced development of Western Civilization (which is a huge step out of the darkness) but neglect the central role of Christian principles in its development (as I see it). So for now we have the popular return of Civilization but without the Christianity. 

There is still good news here, as at least one recent book (Inventing the Individual (2014), by Larry Siedentop) does trace one aspect of the uniqueness of Western Civilization directly to Christian values. There are probably other books I am missing. I purchased the Kindle version of Inventing the Individual but I haven’t read it yet. It seems this book has received less popular attention than the others mentioned above, but it is still progress in pushing back against the history coup.

I also recently discovered a couple of online periodicals with some content that I have really enjoyed: VogelinView and The Imaginative Conservative. Both have a positive view of Christianity and often touch on philosophy and Western Civilization.

 I’ll say there is hope for reason and religion in academia and popular discourse, though it may still be relegated to the fringes for now. 

Update (7-20-2021): I'm listening to Civilization: The West and the Rest by Niall Fergusen on audible. I'm not finished yet, but I'm very impressed with the tone. I don't have the text, so I'll quote from a review by Donald Kagan (also a historian whose lectures I have greatly enjoyed listening to) to convey Fergusen's point of view:

The study of Western civilization, which dominated American education after World War II, has long been under attack, and is increasingly hard to find in our schools and colleges. When it is treated at all, the West is maligned because of its history of slavery and imperialism, an alleged addiction to war and its exclusion of women and nonwhites from its rights and privileges. Some criticize its study as narrow, limiting, arrogant and discriminatory, asserting that it has little or no value for those of non-European origins. Or it is said to be of interest chiefly as a horrible example. ...

Niall Ferguson thinks otherwise. A professor at both Harvard University and the Harvard Business School, quite aware of the faults and blemishes of the West, he flatly rejects the view of those who find nothing worthwhile in it, calling their position “absurd.” He recognizes both good and bad sides and decides that in comparison with other civilizations, the better side “came out on top.” ...

An element central to all this is education, especially history, and Ferguson is appalled by the decline of historical teaching and knowledge in the Western world. His conclusion is not encouraging: “The biggest threat to Western civilization is posed not by other civilizations, but by our own pusillanimity — and by the historical ignorance that feeds it.”

This is all spot on, and needs more attention. My only quibble (as noted above) is that, though he mentions it as a positive influence in a few places, he doesn't give Christianity the central role I think it deserves. He accomplishes this by starting the narrative around 1500 AD. That is likely a wise editorial decision. The world isn't ready for Toynbee yet.