Posted on 06/09/2009 4:22:24 PM PDT by jazusamo
In an age that values cleverness over wisdom, it is not surprising that many superficial but clever books get more attention than a wise book like "The Character of Nations" by Angelo Codevilla, even though the latter has far more serious implications for the changing character of our own nation.
The recently published second edition of Professor Codevilla's book is remarkable just for its subject, quite aside from the impressive breadth of its scope and the depth of its insights. But clever people among today's intelligentsia disdain the very idea that there is such a thing as "national character."
Everything from punctuality to alcohol consumption may vary greatly from one country to another, but the "one world" ideology and the "multicultural" dogma make it obligatory for many among the intelligentsia to act as if none of this has anything to do with the poverty, corruption and violence of much of the Third World or with the low standard of living in the Soviet Union, one of the most richly endowed nations on earth, when it came to natural resources.
"The Character of Nations" is about far more than the fact that there are different behavior patterns in different countries— that, for example, "it is unimaginable to do business in China without paying bribes" but "to offer one in Japan is the greatest of faux pas."
The real point is to show what kinds of behaviors produce what kinds of consequences— in the economy, in the family, in the government and in other aspects of human life. Nor do the repercussions stop there. Government policies are not only affected by the culture of the country but can in turn have a major impact on that culture, for good or ill.
Written in plain and sometimes blunt words, "The Character of Nations" is nevertheless the product of a man whose knowledge and experience span the globe, extending into economics, philosophy and other fields, as well as encompassing the wisdom of the ancients and the follies of the moderns.
The book is an education in itself, more of an education than many students are likely to get at an Ivy League college. However, its purpose is not academic but to clarify the issues facing us all today when "the character of the American way of life is up for grabs perhaps more than ever before," as the author puts it.
While nations differ, particular kinds of behavior produce particular kinds of results in country after country. Moreover, American society in recent years has been imitating behavior patterns that have produced negative— and sometimes catastrophic— consequences in many other countries around the world.
Among these patterns have been a concentration of decision-making power in government officials, an undermining of the role of the family, a "non-judgmental" attitude toward behavior and a dissolution of the common bonds that hold a society together, leading to atomistic self-indulgences and group-identity politics that increasingly pits different segments of society against each other.
Those among the intelligentsia who say that we should "learn from other countries" almost invariably mean that we should imitate what other countries have done. Angelo Codevilla argues that we should learn from other countries' mistakes, especially when those same mistakes have repeatedly produced bad results in many countries and among many very different peoples, living under very different political systems.
Putting ever more economic decisions in the hands of those with political power is just one of those mistakes with a track record of painful repercussions in many countries around the world. These repercussions have included not only serious economic losses but, even more important, a loss of personal freedom and self-respect, as ever wider segments of the population become supplicants and sycophants of those with the power to dispense largess or to make one's life miserable with legalistic or bureaucratic harassment.
We in America have taken large steps in that direction in recent years, and are accelerating our moves in that direction this year. Getting some clearer sense of what this risks is just one of many reasons to read "The Character of Nations."
Sowell’s review is a message to the intelligentsia in this country who are pushing the US towards European socialism and liberalism, as well as to the Barry Administration.
Memo sent to them, btw.
BUMP!
I bounce between fiction and non-fiction. Last week, I finished reading Rabbi David Dalin's book "The Myth of Hitler's Pope: How Pius XII Rescued Jews from the Nazis", which completely eviscerates the left's popular notion that Pope Pius XII was some sort of Hitler supporter.
Then, over the weekend, I read an interesting novel, "Look Again", about a woman in Philly who adopted a baby, only to discover, a couple of years later, that he was a child on the National Missing Child's list, because he'd been kidnapped from his parents in Miami.
I’ve found whenever Dr. Sowell recommends a book it’s a must read, I’ve already put it on my list. :)
Agreed!
jazusamo, as always thanks for posting this.
As I read this article what really struck me is one of the biggest problems facing the black community. And it’s not black on black violence or high illegitimacy rates.
The biggest problem in my opinion, is that many in the black community would venerate someone like Barack Obama or Jesse Jackson, and vilify men like Thomas Sowell and Clarence Thomas. That’s a very telling state affairs. And I don’t think it’s a good one.
Me too. He recommended “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, and I had just returned from visiting “The Villages” down in Florida, so the planning of communities was of high interest to me, especially after reading his book “Basic Economics: A Citizen’s Guide to The Economy”.
Very good point and you’re right on the money.
>> Among these patterns have been a concentration of decision-making power in government officials
The 4th branch of government, bureaucratized special interests.
Going on my library list, too. Charlotte-Mecklenburg will get it, if I’m patient; they have a good selection of the right kind of books, for a communist polity.
Thanks for the ping jaz. Will have to look for that book.
I checked our system, and there are two of Codevilla’s books, but not the one Dr. Sowell mentioned. I ordered up “Between the Alps and a Hard Place” about Switzerland’s neutrality during WWII. Sounds like it might be interesting. I have two more novels to finish before I get to that one, though it could be a week before it comes in to my local library.
Neither this new book nor the Switzerland one is in the catalog right now. I’ll have to try again in a few months, if I remember.
Thomas has said it twice in two days now. Learning from other countries can be more often learning what not to do.
Sowell’s “Basic Econ” is definitely a must-read.
It’s going to be a “textbook” for our homeschool.
Amazon has it.
Let’s take advice from the countries that people are busting to get IN, not out.
hmmm...
I guess that’d be the USA.
“Let’s take advice from the countries that people are busting to get IN, not out.
hmmm...
I guess that’d be the USA.”
Yes. They want to either, 1, Blow it up or, 2, Move here.
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