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How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss Paperback – March 18, 2021

by Peter Kreeft (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 178 ratings
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Peter Kreeft presents a series of brilliant essays about many of the problems that undermine our Western civilization, along with ways to address them. "These essays are not new proposals or solutions to today's problems," he says. "They are old. They have been tried, and have worked. They have made people happy and good. That is what makes them so radical and so unusual today."

In his witty, readable style, Kreeft implores us to gather wisdom and preserve it, as the monks did in the Middle Ages. He offers relevant philosophical precepts, divided into various categories, that can be collected and remembered in order to guide us and future generations in the days ahead.

Kreeft emphasizes that the most necessary thing to save our civilization is to have children. If we don't have children, our civilization will cease to exist. The "unmentionable elephant in the room", he tells us, is sex, properly understood. Religious liberty is being attacked in the name of "sexual liberty", in other words, abortion. Kreeft encourages us to fight back—with joy and confidence—with the one weapon that will win the future: children.

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  1. Print length
    182 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Ignatius Press
  4. Publication date
    March 18, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1621642682
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1621642688
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"In describing how to destroy the West, which we're doing a pretty good job of just now, Peter Kreeft also indicates how to save it, if what's left is savable. He has produced many valuable books in the course of a long career. This one, in its broad scope and incisive analysis, may be the very best of them all."
— Robert Royal, Ph.D., Author, A Deeper Vision:The Catholic Intellectual Tradition in the Twentieth Century

"If Western civilization is imploding, the sole corrective is to detonate it with love, the only reality able to move both minds and hearts truly. Dr. Kreeft does precisely this in his explosive call for a renewal of family life, of a culture aware of what it is worshipping, and of a freedom that allows humans to embrace the fullness of life for which they have been created in Christ."
— Fr. David Meconi, S.J., Director, Catholic Studies Centre, Saint Louis University; Editor, Homiletic & Pastoral Review

"A pithy, often very funny book, with a serious underlying purpose. Peter Kreeft, our very own C. S. Lewis, is a keen diagnostician of our moral and spiritual disorders—here set forth in layman’s language of common sense. He doesn't flinch or coddle. Truth is hard on those who deny it. Whether it makes you laugh or cry, this is a book to be savored and enjoyed on many levels."
— Robert Reilly, Author, America on Trial: A Defense of the Founding

"Diagnosis and prescription in one volume! Dr. Kreeft shows that the diseases destroying Western civilization are indeed deadly, but need not be fatal. While there is still time, we can remember, reclaim and discover the treasures of Western civilization that are both so divine and so thoroughly humane."
— Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J., Author, Real Philosophy for Real People; Host, The Catholic Current on the Station of the Cross Radio Network

About the Author

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, is one of the most respected and prolific Christian authors of our time. His many bestselling books cover a vast array of topics in spirituality, theology, and philosophy. They include Wisdom from the Psalms, Practical Theology, Doors in the Walls of the World, How to Be Holy, Because God Is Real, You Can Understand the Bible, Angels and Demons, Heaven: The Heart's Deepest Longing, and Summa of the Summa.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ignatius Press (March 18, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 182 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1621642682
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1621642688
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.5 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 178 ratings

About the author

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Peter Kreeft

Peter Kreeft

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---"Beauty" -- The branch of philosophy dealing with aesthetics.

---"C. S. Lewis and Mere Christianity" -- C.S. Lewis' masterpiece

--- Charisms: Visions, Tongues, Healing, etc. (feat. Dave Nevins)

---"Christianity in Lord of the Rings" -- The cleverly disguised role of God

---"Culture War" -- A call to arms, mapping key enemies and battlefields

---"Existence of God" -- A magnificent overview of the arguments

---"Good, True, Beautiful" -- C.S. Lewis on three great transcendentals

---"Happiness" -- How do you get it? Christ's version vs. the world's

---"Heaven" -- The heart's deepest longing

---"Hollywood Screenwriting" -- Encouragement to film's creative storytellers

---"If Einstein Had Been a Surfer" -- Rediscovering intuitive thinking

---"Lord, Liar, or Lunatic" -- The famous argument for Christ's identity

---"Problem of Pain" -- C.S. Lewis's brilliant exposition on suffering and evil

---"Sex in Heaven" -- Imaging the fire of God's love

---"Sexual Reconnection" -- Healing the link between sex & love

---"Shocking Beauty" -- The live character of Christ

---

---

Lecture scheduling and more info:

http://www.peterkreeft.com

--

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
178 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Inquirer
5.0 out of 5 stars Essays to cherish, study, and meditate about
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2024
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The author has assembled a group of essays that touches several topics that comprise the foundation of the ills that affect humanity nowadays. And he makes his points with flair and wit.
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Kendal Brian Hunter
5.0 out of 5 stars The title says it all!
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2022
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This would be a good book to cut your teeth on with Peter Kreeft. He has a gift for conciseness, and succulent word play. He's to the point, very funny. That's what makes his ideas stick. A great book for homeschoolers, and fans of the Closing of the American mind, and the Coddling of the American
3 people found this helpful
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Spencer
4.0 out of 5 stars Characteristic Kreeft - A good book for those already fans
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2022
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I believe Peter Kreeft will be remembered well after he stops writing. There may be a lull in popularity of his works, but he will be included in anthologies of thoughtful Christian writers of this era. Indeed, his dozens of volumes published over the last decades are all helpful. Some more than others. But they all reflect someone who has thought deeply about Christianity, culture, and the way human thought has developed over time.

How to Destroy Western Civilization and Other Ideas from the Cultural Abyss is a 2021 volume published by Ignatius Press. It’s the sort of book that a younger author with less of a catalog would not be permitted to publish, but it will sell some copies because it is Peter Kreeft and some people (like me) will buy it just because of that.

This volume is a collection of essays and pieces of writing that all reflect on the general theme of things that are wrong with the thinking of our present age. Kreeft demonstrates his characteristic thoughtfulness alongside his playful wit as he rehearses some of the themes that run through all of his works.

How to Destroy Western Civilization is not the place that someone new to Kreeft should begin. This is a volume that requires a little more context than it contains. The eighteen chapters are really eighteen distinct works. Some of them appear to be works that were formerly addresses to schools, some are online posts that are designed to draw a wry laugh, some appear to be articles or excerpts of works that may have been drawn from (or become) longer works. This potpourri approach to this volume is good for someone who already enjoys Kreeft and understands his work; it would be a challenge for the beginner. This problem is not helped by the lack of any introduction or annotations regarded where any of the works (which appear to be drawn from a significant span of time) were drawn.

That being said, there are some delightful aspects to this concise volume. Chapter Five, for example, is simply a list of internal conflicts within liberalism—by which Kreeft means progressivism. Thus, “Extremism is extremely bad,” is followed by “Don’t trust words,” which comes a little before “Absolutely no absolutes.” His point is well taken, and if it is seen as a caricature, that’s because it’s a little near to the truth for some sensitive souls. We also get an essay on heroes in Chapter Ten, which is an unironic reflection on why our age lacks people and characters that can be looked up to. Chapter Six offers a reflection on what the shift from Socratic logic to symbolic logic has cost our culture because it makes thoughts about the concrete of this world into abstract concepts. The fourteenth chapter helps clarify the problems with some contemporary understandings of freedom.

Kreeft is, in many ways, a man of the Middle Ages, much like one of his heroes, C. S. Lewis. He thinks differently than even many contemporary conservatives because he has feasted more on ancient and medieval thought than on contemporary debates. He is a man within our time, but perhaps more comfortable in another one. This makes all of his books, even this one, well worth reading.

NOTE: This is an edited version of a review posted at Ethics and Culture.
5 people found this helpful
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Mark
5.0 out of 5 stars Peter Kreeft Does it Again!
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2022
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Over the years i have become a huge Peter Kreeft fan. HIs writings are always so easy to understand on complex subjects. He has done his research over the years and is a most reliable and formidable force. Thank you Dr. Kreeft and i look forward to reading more of your varied styles of writings!!
3 people found this helpful
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Paul Creasy
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great one!
Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2021
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Peter Kreeft never fails to deliver. And deliver he has, in spades, in this magnificent book. A must read and highly recommended.
7 people found this helpful
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A careful reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating examination of where we are.
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2021
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I love Kreeft’s brilliant examination of culture from a solid perspective of a philosopher Christian. His grasp of literature and Western Civilization is unmatched.
6 people found this helpful
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Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work.
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2021
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Peter Kreeft has an unusual capacity to couple a towering intellect with an accessible writing style. Very well-worth the time and energy to engage.
20 people found this helpful
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Joe W
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2021
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This is an absolutely fabulous book. A must read for Christians.
3 people found this helpful
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Michel Fontaine
5.0 out of 5 stars Si vous voulez de la lucidité et de la sagesse vous en trouverez une bonne dose dans cet ouvrage
Reviewed in Canada on June 8, 2023
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Terre à terre et profond. Sensé, cohérent et rigoureux.
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Jim Dowdell
5.0 out of 5 stars A rare book that measures up to its title.
Reviewed in Canada on September 4, 2021
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No matter how many books you read this year, this book will possibly change your life the most. It could change the course of history if only enough people would read it. Do yourself a favour and become one of those lucky people that have found the key to peace in adversity, read it soonest.
2 people found this helpful
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Jim Cairney
5.0 out of 5 stars Our Society
Reviewed in Canada on June 5, 2021
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Marmarion
1.0 out of 5 stars Unfounded comments
Reviewed in Canada on July 19, 2023
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I disliked this book for several reasons. The author’s fundamental premise is that
Western civilization can only be saved by a man and woman having many offspring. Yet upon looking at his biographical information, it seems he himself has just four children. Many Catholic families I have known consist of ten or more youngsters. Moreover, he makes several scathing remarks about Canada and Canadians, for no specified reason. The final straw for me was his chapter twelve, “What is the Key to a Good Society?” He makes several unproven and unreferenced statements near the end of this chapter about the four most wonderful societies in history, and they were so, of course, in his view, due to their focus on religion and morality. I closed the book for good at that point and will be donating it.
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