Whittle asserts that Western civilization is “is the best
civilization in the history of the world.” That’s a big assertion, but I think
he’s probably right. Certainly it is provably the best in the world today, and
historically as far as we have knowledge to compare. People are treated better
within Western civilization than in any other. People are more likely to enjoy
freedom, prosperity, and safety.
He claims there are three basic foundations Western
civilization is built on:
I think you can probably define the West’s success, and the
West’s magnificence by looking at three different qualities about Western
civilization. And those three different foundations of Western civilization
are: Judeo-Christian morality, Greco-Roman philosophy, and Anglo-Saxon law. You
understand these three foundations, and you’ll understand why this civilization
is unmatched in history [at about 27 minutes in].
In the Spherical Model, there are three overlaying spheres:
civilizational (or social), economic, and freedom. As I listened to his speech,
I think we are in agreement; he is simply describing the underlying historical
sources for the three spheres.
What does he mean by Judeo-Christian morality, and why is it
important? Judeo-Christian belief is that there is one God. “If there’s one God,
then there’s absolute truth” [at 28 minutes in]. Absolute truth means there is
right and wrong, and God is the judge. Things like the Ten Commandments list
the barbaric, uncivilized behaviors you must not do. And you judge yourself,
with your conscience. Even if the police do not catch you stealing, you are
guilty of stealing because you know you did it. You are responsible for
governing your own behavior.
He boldly uses the word virtue.
Virtue is the ability for individual people to do the right
thing most of the time. And the entire theory of our system of government
(meaning the United States, Canada, the Anglo sphere, the British system of
government), the entire theory of government is that virtuous people can be
trusted to rule themselves. They don’t need to be governed by other people,
because they govern themselves. And the more virtuous a people are, the more
freedoms they can be given [at about 30 minutes in].
I believe this coincides with the Civilization vs. Savagery Sphere. To be in the northern hemisphere, where civilization thrives, requires
a religious people, who recognize the rights and responsibilities God requires
for basic harmonious living—civilization.
Next, what is it about Greco-Roman philosophy that is
important? In short, he says that Greco-Roman philosophy made the leap to
understanding that the world is not chaotic, but there are natural laws at work
in the world:
The Greeks and the Romans believed that the universe was
understandable, that there were laws at work that were beyond the ability to
interfere. And that it was up to us to figure out what these laws were. And if
we developed a way of looking at the universe, which eventually became known as
science, we might be able to interrogate nature, and we might be able to
isolate these laws. And once we isolated these laws, we could wield those laws [about
33 minutes in].
He is referring specifically to the progress and development
of science. But I think that is an outgrowth of free market economics. If a
person, or a people, is kept within the constraints of subsistence day after
day, with no surplus, there is neither time nor resources to make capital improvements.
With surplus time, wealth, and knowledge, there is the possibility of
development—and science is a form of capital. So I think the Greco-Roman
philosophy fits in the Spherical Model essentially within the Economic Sphere.
What does he mean by Anglo-Saxon law, and why is that
important? Briefly, it is God’s natural law, which is above any political
human-organization-imposed law.
For instance, there’s not a person on this earth that wants
to be murdered. There’s not a father or mother on this earth that wants to see
their daughters raped. There’s not a person in the world that wants to have
their hard-earned property taken from them. Not one. Natural law says that
these are universal truths [about 35 minutes in].
You might notice the connection here with the Ten
Commandments. God gives us our rights, and also gives us the responsibility to
govern ourselves so that other’s rights are also protected. A political law can
only protect our God-given freedoms when it does not usurp authority over those
rights. And all members of the society—governors, kings, presidents, or street
sweepers—all are subject to the same rules. Laws aren’t what the potentate
decides they are; laws are what is aligned with natural law. So his reasons for valuing Anglo-Saxon law line up pretty neatly with the Political Sphere, with freedom up north and tyranny down south
Life, liberty, and property (along with the choice of how to
pursue property, or how to spend our time and enjoy our lives) are protected
within Anglo-Saxon law. With those protections of our natural rights, we have
the opportunity to build wealth and invent capital improvements, as you see
coming out of Greco-Roman philosophy. All of these societal benefits come out
of a virtuous people, who govern themselves with accountability to God, as you
see in Judeo-Christian morality.
The connections of these historic ingredients are the
subject of Hillsdale College’s free online History 101: Western Heritage. The lesson list includes:
1.
Jerusalem, Athens, and the Study of History at
Hillsdale College
2.
The Hebrew Legacy
3.
The Greek Miracle
4.
The Greek Legacy
5.
The Roman Legacy
6.
Early Christianity
7.
Church and State
8.
Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation
9.
The Scientific Revolution
10. From
Elizabeth I to the Glorious Revolution
You can see you’ll be getting the three ingredients of
civilization with even more detail.
This is only the first third of Bill Whittle’s speech. The
rest of it covers the deterioration we’re seeing in civilization—in all three
of these structural ingredients. I think there is no question we are seeing
decay—just as past civilizations have experienced decay. How do we solve this?
I don’t know. I’m not sure Whittle completely covers the answer either.
Glenn Beck was commenting on the overwhelming nature of our
many problems the other day, and he said, “The problems are so big, the
solutions are basic” (Glenn Beck radio program, 1-30-2013). Basic, or simple,
is not necessarily easy. But the simple answer is that each of us needs to
govern ourselves.
That’s fine for those of us who already do. But I think we
need to understand why we do what we do, understand the value of the
magnificent heritage that brought about our phenomenal civilization, so that we
inculcate these ideas into the understanding of those that aren’t paying
attention. Start with ourselves and our families—don’t expect the schools or
even the churches to do it; parents must do it. And then in our choices of
entertainment, literature, and ways we choose to spend our time, we can, with
God’s help, move our communities, and then larger entities like states and
nations, back up where civilization thrives.
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