The West's Strange Genius

The power of self-criticism

Rembrandt, Nathan rebukes David

Contemporary debates about the state of civilisation, unsurprisingly, verge into two camps that seem irreconcilable. For several decades, the tendency amongst the intellectuals who occupy the tenured posts in the great universities of the Western world has been to condemn ‘the West’, almost wholesale, as a civilisational idea that is inherently oppressive - ‘hegemonic’ would be the relevant term. The notion that we should value some ideas as better than others has become a blasphemy, according to the prevailing doctrine.

The liberal and post-modern readings of the history of the West (see, for just one example, Michel Foucault) see moral enlightenment as coming not because of Christianity but in the move away from it. The less Christian we’ve become, in other words, the more just and equitable we’ve also become.

Latterly, there’s been a reaction from more conservative quarters by writers like Niall Ferguson that challenges that dominant narrative and attempts to foreground the great achievements of Western civilisation. We’ve seen the rise of ‘Western Civs’ courses, and the appearance of ARC - the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship.

I have a great deal of sympathy for this defence. However, I also sense in this turn the danger of a nostalgic vision that is blind to the deficiencies in Western culture or which makes of it something that it never was. What I should like to argue instead is that the most distinct and important contribution of the West is the tradition of moral self-critique, which was deeply shaped by Christianity. The West is not defined by moral superiority but by the capacity to recognise its own sins.

The ‘Western Civilisation’ revival tends to reduce Christianity’s role within it to the generator of values and principles. That is the grave temptation of the movement, which outwardly seems attractive to Christians. But Christianity is only ethical insofar as it is spiritual. It resists being so reduced. Christianity, in its proper position, destabilises civilisational pride rather than bolsters it. It is like Nathan before David, exposing his terrible sins to him. David must face the judgment of God - as indeed, all emperors and kings must.

Christianity has introduced several spiritual ideas that have reshaped Western civilisation and as such are indispensible to it. These must never be forgotten, even as we celebrate the great art and literature of our tradition.

The first is the dignity of the weak. It was precisely this idea that Nietzsche saw in Christianity and despised. There is a stream in Western Civilisation that has been deeply attracted to the hatred of the weak. How easily Darwinian ideas became racist political doctrines, not much more than a century ago!

The second is the moral equality of persons, which is fundamental to the rights of the individual. This is not a doctrine that can emerge from nature. It is metaphysical. Judeo-Christian revelation is its source.

Third, the critique of power. The Bible is shot through with critiques of arrogant human power. At its centre is a figure who was crucified by corrupt political and religious power. Power can be respected as rightly given authority, but it is always relativised.

Fourth, grace and the possibility of repentance. Christianity is fundamentally suspicious of the human heart, but also optimistic about the possibility of change in response to grace. It names as central to the character of God free generosity for the undeserving - which generates a humble spirit of service for the other.

As a result of these extraordinary theological ideas, the West has institutionalised self-criticism. The University itself is a feature of this civilisational idea - with academic freedom at its core. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech are extraordinary blessings necessary to a democratic political system in which ideas are debated.

If we leave this behind, what are we left with? We are seeing it now: cynicism, which is just power without morality, where the only aim is to do deals. Or we have morality without foundations, which leads (ironically) to puritanism, since I can never admit my own sins.

It will not do to have a nostalgic vision of Western civilisation, as if the past could be recaptured in any case. The West had its blind spots. But it also had within it the seeds of its own renewal and reformation. It carried with it its own prophets. Even as its Davids sinned, it had its Nathans.