The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great

Written by Ben Shapiro

Narrated by Ben Shapiro

America has a God-shaped hole in its heart, argues New York Times bestselling author Ben Shapiro, and we shouldn't fill it with politics and hate.

In 2016, Ben Shapiro spoke at UC Berkeley. Hundreds of police officers were required from 10 UC campuses across the state to protect his speech, which was -- ironically -- about the necessity for free speech and rational debate.

He came to argue that Western Civilization is in the midst of a crisis of purpose and ideas. Our freedoms are built upon the twin notions that every human being is made in God’s image and that human beings were created with reason capable of exploring God’s world.

We can thank these values for the birth of science, the dream of progress, human rights, prosperity, peace, and artistic beauty. Jerusalem and Athens built America, ended slavery, defeated the Nazis and the Communists, lifted billions from poverty and gave billions spiritual purpose. Jerusalem and Athens were the foundations of the Magna Carta and the Treaty of Westphalia; they were the foundations of Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail.

Civilizations that rejected Jerusalem and Athens have collapsed into dust. The USSR rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, substituting a new utopian vision of “social justice” – and they starved and slaughtered tens of millions of human beings. The Nazis rejected Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and they shoved children into gas chambers. Venezuela rejects Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, and citizens of their oil-rich nation have been reduced to eating dogs.

We are in the process of abandoning Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law, favoring instead moral subjectivism and the rule of passion. And we are watching our civilization collapse into age-old tribalism, individualistic hedonism, and moral subjectivism. We believe we can reject Judeo-Christian values and Greek natural law and satisfy ourselves with intersectionality, or scientific materialism, or progressive politics, or authoritarian governance, or nationalistic solidarity.

We can’t.

The West is special, and in The Right Side of History, Ben Shapiro bravely explains that it’s because too many of us have lost sight of the moral purpose that drives us each to be better, or the sacred duty to work together for the greater good, or both. A stark warning, and a call to spiritual arms, this book may be the first step in getting our civilization back on track.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9780062945068

Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro is founding editor-in-chief and editor emeritus of The Daily Wire and host of "The Ben Shapiro Show," the top conservative podcast in the nation. A New York Times bestselling author, Shapiro is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and an Orthodox Jew. His work has been profiled in nearly every major American publication, and he has appeared as the featured speaker at many conservative events on campuses nationwide, several of those appearances targeted by progressive and “Antifa” activists.

Reviews for The Right Side of History

[Buddy Leroy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thought provoking and very well written. This book can expand your view of western philosophy.

[david ward · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ben is a very articulate writer that makes you think.

[Richard P Barthelemy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Insightful. Great analysis of the divide and problems in our society.

[Vas Man · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great ride through history. If you want a concise journey into what has made the west great then this is it. Ben pulls no punches and does not sugar coat the past or the present. So long as you have an open mind you will be taken on a trip of hard facts that only he can deliver and you will appreciate the objective truth of living on the right side of history.

[Carlos Del Cistia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. Worth buying so you can read it more than once. Listening to the audiobook narrated by the author is also an amazing idea the recollect the best parts of the book. So far the best read in 2019.

[Michelle · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have the hard copy of this book and I love it! I implore everyone to give this book a chance.

[Pablo I Quiroz Velazquez · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Interesante libro, desarrollo de la historia, actualidad y el proposito de ella.

[Seth Manwaring · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Just finished this book and it was so great I'm restarting it from the beginning without hesitation!

Shapiro makes crystal clear how the great American experiment drew from both reason (Athens) and morality (Jerusalem), and how incontrovertibly our society resulted from the best ideas of both science and Judeo-Christian morality. Next, Shapiro masterfully demonstrates how each of the most revered philosophers of the Enlightenment and the New Enlightenment have worked in concert with or contrary to the scientific and moral foundations that eventually built greatest civilization in world history.

Shapiro's final chapter powerfully enumerates what we must do to restore the foundation and enable future generations to continue building and enjoying the liberty and wealth of this nation.

Off I go to read this one again!

[ductapguy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! Well worth the read/listen!
Ben Shapiro is always right on the money.

[NH · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very insightful. I like to see all sides before making decisions.

[Miguel Fortin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great. Just Great. Its a must. Everyone should read it

[Jose Luis TexasTea · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short but meaningful. Halfway through I decided to place my order for a hard copy. After finishing the audiobook, I am now left with excitement as I await its arrival.

[Megan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book I’ve been waiting for! In broad strokes Shapiro has outlined a narrative of Western Judeo-Christian / Greek history that I know is essentially accurate. The detail of this work is astounding and it’s allowed me to place many famous names in their context. I now have key leads on where to start when reading the classics.

[Laura Lane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an excellent resource for those seeking to understand how our country came to be as it is.

[Melissa Renee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book that embraces history and communicates its importance in 2020.

[Cameron Ploch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes hard to follow but amazing Ben Shapiro The philosopher

[Grant Frye · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it. Great food for thought and conversation. Would reccomend

[Yo der · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ben really is an amazing guy philosophy is a bit over my head but he did a good job breaking them down to this plebs level so I could understand. Good listen!?

[Erin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed it so much that I bought the physical book to share with others.

[Daniel Bright · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Compare with Tom Holland's Dominion making of the western world. The west won by God.

[ME · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much info packed into a small book. Much to meditate on. Do yourself a favor and read it!

[Luca Di Ferdinando · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Awesome book ! Ben Shapiro has done an Amazing job, it’s a thesis obviously but really interesting :)

[Miranda Kelly · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shapiro is one of the greatest conservative voices for the next generation.

[CorinneRuthJohnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best book so far this year! Wish I had listened to it sooner.

[Eric Shaw · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Shapiro provides a colorful and detailed review of the elements of our Western heritage that are key to preserving our humanistic and progressive values. Highly recommended.

[jesse lyons · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The author calls for reevaluation of our ways while engaging in gas lighting tribalism in his personal life. Aimed to stoke tensions between opposing beliefs in this country. Does no duty of calling out his conservative following or elected officials when they engage in unethical, untruthful , and illegal behavior. Its unfortunate; Shapiro is a valuable conservative voice and could do a good job of reshaping western values in his favor if only he practiced what is preached.

[Lachlan T · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

His argument. The fact that humans don’t live in constant fear of death and starving is due to American political system and American culture. Sorry no, many western countries have seen massive growth in quality of life due to resource extraction without compensation and technological advancements. The culture of theft, western cultural education, and suppression of ‘lesser culture’.

Bens loud ignorance to reality contributes to the dumbing down our planet.

[Rachel Watts · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book is perfect for you if you’re already a conservative, doesn’t really open your mind if you’re not religious or another religion outside of the ones mentioned, or literally anyone else. It was pointless for him to write this when he’s already said all of this countless times.

[Charles James · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a refreshing new perspective from Ben Shapiro. Great read (listen)!

[Mike Kyling · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I found the overtly religious overtones distasteful, and difficult to persist with. A pity