LECTURE
In this thirtieth week of our study of the Western Tradition, we will look at the story of the twentieth Century and freedom. How did freedom advance or retreat during the twentieth Century? We begin at 1900, with the great Universal Exhibition at Paris to which fifty million people came. And we continue to look at the entire century all the way to 1990's and the fall of the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall (Nov. 9, 1989), the birth of. freedom in Poland, and the rest of Eastern Europe.
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RECOMMENDED READING
What is the West?,
Duquesne University Press (December 15, 2005),
ISBN 0820703753
Review:
In this short, illuminating, and very readable work, Philippe Nemo argues that what we call 'the West' is one and only one cultural entity, to which both North America and Western Europe belong. In contemporary debates, then, Nemo asserts, it is simply incorrect to exaggerate the differences or gaps between countries that are indeed 'Western'. Brilliantly and succinctly surveying the last five or six millenia, Nemo pieces together the history of the West's development. He weaves together political events, philosophical discoveries, religious movements, and scientific and technological innovations to demonstrate the factors that have influenced and shaped Western culture. Already translated from the original French into Portuguese, Italian, German and Greek, "What is the West?" has received considerable interest throughout Europe; earlier this year, in fact, it received the Italian 'Citte della Rose' prize for essays. Now available for the first time in English, this book will be essential reading for those interested in contemporary cultural debates on Western culture and nationhood, as well as American values; as well as those interested in world history and politics, philosophy and religion, and contemporary global politics. Not geared to specifically conservative or liberal viewpoints but to an accurate rendering of historical ideas and trends, Nemo's book should do much to advance our understanding of each other in an increasingly global community.
About the Author:
PHILIPPE NEMO is a professor at the ESCP-EAP European School of Management, where he teaches philosophy and the history of political ideas. He is also the author of Job and the Excess of Evil.