Suicide of the West

Front Cover
Bloomsbury Academic, Aug 19, 2007 - Political Science - 208 pages

One hundred years ago, most Westerners felt tremendous pride and confidence in their civilisation. They knew what it stood for, and they believed in it. Today that sense has gone. That is largely because the six principal ideas which underpinned Western confidence - those of Christianity, optimism, science, economic growth, liberalism and individualism - have suffered a century of sustained attack. These ideas no longer inspire or unite the West as they once did.

The contributors to Suicide of the West believe that, in theory, a more sophisticated synthesis of the six ideas could provide a way for the West to recover its nerve and integrity. But in practice? This fascinating book seeks to find the answer.

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About the author (2007)

Chris Smith was born in 1970 and attended University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Graduate Film Program in 1995 after completing his film American Job. He met Mark Borchardt while editing American Job, and began filming a documentary about the making of Mark's psychological thriller Coven. Both films played at the Sundance Film Festival, and American Movie won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary. Sony bought the picture for $1 million. In 2016 Chris collaborated with Jon Stewart on the book The Daily Show: An Oral History as Told by Jon Stewart, the Correspondents, Staff and Guests which made The New York Times Best Seller List.

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