Cultural Amnesia

In some sense, I'm glad James wrote Cultural Amnesia in the early 2000's. At that time, he was able to end it on an optimistic note. Despite living in a post 9/11 world, he was able to conclude with the feeling that if the end of history wasn't already beginning, that it was imminent.

It's not.

In 2021 Cultural Amnesia feels more like a coda to the greatest hits of Western Civilization as we enter the neo-postmodern era where nothing beautiful is safe from puritanical purges.

Present context aside, this is a beautifully written book. It's an indulgent tour of the stars of modern history who come together to make a constellation in which the imaginative reader can begin to see the shape of human achievement, both for good and for ill.