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Ten ways of looking at man’s greatest gift.

Jan 24, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 18 • By RYAN T. ANDERSON

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Liberty and Civilization

How Freedom Rings

Roger Scruton under scrutiny

Hollandse Hoogte / Redux

The Western Heritage

edited by Roger Scruton

Encounter, 160 pp., $23.95

Between the extremes of religious fanaticism and secularism, or of libertarian libertinism and moralizing statism, we would do well to seek what Aristotelians call the virtuous mean: that metaphysical and religious worldview which promotes a healthy conception of man and his place in the cosmos, and a political philosophy that supports such a conception.

The Western tradition does just that. Its core understanding is that man was created for freedom, and that this freedom is neither a freedom of indifference nor a freedom from constraint, but a freedom for excellence. In Liberty and Civilization, Roger Scruton has brought together 10 of its leading contemporary intellectuals to discuss various aspects of man’s freedom and its political ramifications. Originally appearing in the American Spectator through John Templeton Foundation funding, these essays provide sophisticated yet accessible discussions of central, longstanding debates in their modern formulations. Perfect for prompting discussions in undergraduate seminars, or for the professional on the go, the essays here deserve a broad audience.

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