Suicide of the West, James Burnham
Suicide of the West, James Burnham
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Suicide of the West
An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism

Author: James Burnham

Narrator: Phillip J. Sawtelle

Unabridged: 10 hr 51 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/01/2011

Synopsis

William F. Buckley, Jr., perhaps best described the importance of this seminal work when he said, James Burnham has written a book about Liberalism for which the world has been aching. It is worth more to the West than the years gross national product, more than all the planes and bombs Through studious research into past civilizations, Burnham diagnoses the twentieth century and finds it afflicted with destructive, even suicidal tendenciesall of which arise from the Liberal syndrome and its inherent applications. The book explores several important questions, including why Liberalism clashes with Christianity and how Liberalism is a root cause of race riots and the rapid growth in crime. For James Burnham, who died in 1986, this book is certainly one of his greatest legacies.

About James Burnham

James Burnham (1905–1987) was an American popular political theorist and a noted author, lecturer, editor, and commentator. He was the founding editor of the National Review, founder of the Congress for Cultural Freedom, and director of the Free Europe University. He was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Ingersoll Foundation’s award for his contributions to the conservative movement. His books include The Managerial Revolution, The Machiavellians, The Struggle for the World, and many others.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Marcus on November 07, 2009

The premise of The Suicide of the West is that the West is in decline, and the decline is fueled by the rise of liberalism. Despite the strong title, most of the book is an attempt at an objective definition of liberalism. Only the beginning and end actually discuss why liberalism could potentially......more

Goodreads review by Douglas on May 26, 2016

I have read Burnham before, decades ago, but don't recall the circumstances. I recently thought to reread him, and he remains as trenchant as ever. Some of the things that you might think would date the book (like the collapse of Soviet communism) didn't have that effect at all. If book reviews like......more

Goodreads review by Jack on December 06, 2023

Excellent, well written book on the ideology of modern liberalism. Burnham goes through the principles of liberalism analyzing them in abstract, and then he analyzes how they find their practical application in the real world. The liberal's mode of thought is based on purely abstract ideological think......more

Goodreads review by Julio on September 11, 2022

Burnham no longer recognizes dialectical materialism but dialectical materialism still recognizes him."---Leon Trotsky. James Burnham was the Original Gangster of American neoconservatism, going from Trotskyst to Editor at NATIONAL REVIEW magazine to, shortly before his death, receiving the President......more

Goodreads review by Shea on September 12, 2024

Hard to summarize or explain this book simply. I like Doug Wilson's review that says "Liberalism should be defined as the soothing philosophy that rationalizes and explains our decline as a civilization, seeking to prepare us for the inevitable. In doing so, liberalism becomes a central part of the......more

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