WE ARE MODERN AND WANT TO BE MODERN

• Authors: Jude P. Dougherty
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The author traces the thought of George Santayana, Brad S. Gregory, Pierre Manent, and Rémi Brague, who addressed the transformation of the West into its modern present. They all show that by being cut off from its cultural and political inheritance in modern times, Western Civilization presently finds itself in a burning need of recovering its identity. To save its identity, the West is to challenge the errors of modernity. We used to have the example of Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle in the darkest hours of World War II, and the remarkable example of John Paul II who through his leadership of the Solidarity movement inspired hope not only in his own people but also for others in the Soviet bloc at the time. “The cultural task awaiting Europe,” to use a phrase of Rémi Brague, challenging though it may be, may in time find its voice in another Churchill or John Paul II. At present, with no remedy in sight, all we can do is to hope.

Keywords

EN

West; civilization; Europe; Christendom; democracy; culture; politics; George Santayana; Brad S. Gregory; Pierre Manent; Rémi Brague

• Publisher: International Étienne Gilson Society
• Journal: Studia Gilsoniana
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 4
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 241-249

Dates

published

2015-09-30

Contributors

author

Jude P. Dougherty

• The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., USA

Notes

EN

Issue Theme: “Renewing the West: Religion, Atheism, and Common Sense.” Guest Editor of the Issue: Tomasz Kopiczko

Identifiers

ISSN

2300-0066