A culture that engendered the spiritual creations of Mozart and Beethoven, Wagner and Schubert, of Raphael and Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt does not need lessons in spirituality from societies whose vision of heaven resembles a cosmic brothel stocked with virgins for men’s pleasure.
Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence was effective with the British precisely because they were not inclined to use excessive force against unarmed civilians.... Would Gandhi’s tactics have worked with the Nazis?
Natural endowment is far less consequential than the ability to use it productively, and that ability is an outcome of culture.
One of the most basic elements of western-style democracies is freedom of conscience, which is necessary for achieving true consent of the governed.
The British Empire is typically characterized as an overwhelmingly negative force in history, but a comparison with the rival imperialism of Islam provides a corrective to this view.
The west is able to look at its own foibles and laugh, even make fun of its own fundamental principles. There is no Islamic equivalent to Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Can we look forward to seeing The Life of Mo anytime in the future?
