Here are the books I consider to be the seven pillars of wisdom on which Western civilization is built.
This past week I gave a lecture on “Why Shakespeare Matters” at Colorado Christian University. In the dinner prior to the talk, the president of the university asked me to name what I considered to be the six foundational texts of Western civilization. Scurrying and scrambling to pull from the top of my head six titles that could plausibly fit the bill, I thought that such an exercise might provide inspiration for a thought-provoking essay.
Permitting myself a little poetic license or literary leeway, I’ve allowed myself seven texts, not six. With an appropriate deferential nod to T. E. Lawrence, here are what I consider to be the seven pillars of wisdom on which Western civilization is built.
See the full article by Joseph Pearce, December 10, 2022