"The Suicide of Reason" by Lee Harris

It is not often that a book really makes a difference in one’s thinking. For me, “The Suicide of Reason” made a major difference in my thinking. It surely will make me reconsider many of my views. I encourage you to read the book and your comments would be appreciated.

The author convincingly argues that the West’s ideal of a society built on citizens who live by the laws of reason, i.e., they advocate the need for each person to think and decide what values will guide their behavior. The problem is that the West, in general, and the United States, in particular, thinks that the rule of reason is inevitable rather than an outcome of exceptional circumstances, virtually never again to be occur.

And, secondly, we tend to see the rule of reason to be the inevitable outcome of history. With education and exposure to societies ruled by reason, it is only a matter of time when other nations will transition to the same values.

Another dimension to this problem is that advocating the rule of reason and the need to pursue self-interest results in a level of tolerance of differences that ultimately weakens the capacity of the citizens to defend themselves when confronted by those who lives by a tribal code, according to the laws of jungle.

These ideals are great, but there is an inherent weakness when confronted by those whose goals and objectives are not based on self-interest, but the well-being of the tribe.

The author focuses on Islam which is different from other cultures that have expanded their hegemony by ultimately dominating peoples not so much by power depicted in the Master/Slave scenario as by encouraging conversion (rather than death) to another way of life. And, their success has been noted by the inability of other cultures and religions to penetrate their culture. In fact, Islam penetrates rather successfully within those cultures ruled by reason by demanding the society’s tolerance for differences requires them to promote their distinctive differences rather than require their assimilation into their new society.

In short, the picture portrayed by the author is that there is a cultural war occurring that intends to destroy the nations ruled by the law of reason and their promotion of self because these ideals are potentially destructive of the Islam culture.

The author is concerned that our decadence, i.e., the life-style that promotes the acquisition of goods that promote our self-interest, will be the cause of our ultimate destruction by those whose only goal is the dominance of their tribe (Islam) which is built on blood by beliefs.

Ultimately, then, the author would advocate that were we to defend ourselves, nations ruled by reason would have to become intolerant of differences that do not identify with the cultural mores of reason, especially in our own nations, but also in others. While we can ensure that those living within these nations adhere to the cultural values of reason by threatening their deportation, intolerance of tribal mores in other nations would require more nuanced approaches that make clear that our differences and our willingness to defend our values when threatened or attacked.