Part Three — Confusion in the West: A Conversation With Professors John and Anna Rist

Описание: In this interview for the National Catholic Register (www.ncregister.com) and EWTN GB (www.ewtn.co.uk), Professors John and Anna discuss their new book: "Confusion in the West: Retrieving Tradition in the Modern and Post-Modern World." https://www.amazon.co.uk/Confusion-We...

The book provides a panoramic overview ranging from antiquity to the present-day and explains how the foundational culture of the West, which the authors characterize as the “original tradition,” has been eroded, leading to anxiety about the entire value of Western thought. But the Rists also look into the deeper causes of the confusion, beyond just the Enlightenment which is the focus of many critics of modernity, and examine such ills as modern totalitarianism, liberalism, scientism, consumerism, and prevailing nihilism.

In this final part, modern totalitarianism is discussed and how it differs from that of ancient societies, namely that since the French Revolution, all becomes political and the boundaries between private and public spheres are erased; how the “soft totalitarianism” of modern liberalism has come about, namely by denial of original sin, and why it is detached from reality; how we can return to “original tradition,” whether we have the philosophical means to achieve to do so, and the importance of returning to honesty and objective truth before we can discard the errors of modern philosophy; and why the works of John Rawls (1921 – 2002), whom John Rist calls “the face of contemporary liberalism,” needs to be faced head on.

With thanks to www.ewtn.co.uk for filming and producing this interview.
Opening clip courtesy of www.Vecteezy.com

Part One:    • Part One — Confusion in the West: A Conver...  
Part Two:    • Part Two — Confusion in the West: A Conver...  
Part Three:    • Part Three — Confusion in the West: A Conv...