New York, Simon and Schuster, 2016.
I agree with reviews of this New York Times best seller, written by a Washington Post syndicated columnist and NPR commentator. This book should be required reading for all voters, even Congress. The last 69 pages are devoted to background information, extensive Notes and detailed Index.

In 548 pages the author manages to reflect the thinking, the lack of it, the intrigue, the debates, the inconsistencies, the treasonous lying and blind-sided focus that produced our current situation and wasted far too much money dividing the country.

The author’s plea is for “…conservatives to take a turn toward moderations…” in order to “…embrace those who have been left out…” in one way or another.

Suicide of the West starts with an introduction that begins “Thee is no God in this book,” though the author is “not an atheist.” He then summarizes human evolution with words like “embarrassing animals” and “humiliating sea of ooze.” this tells me that the author has serious problems recognizing the genius and overwhelming complexity in how our various life forms came into existence.

If he is just trying to be cute, it fails with me. The issues are too critical and our choices too important--especially when a concept like fascism is discussed. The author seems to assume that we are locked into our tribal nature, that early life was brutal before our recent rise in GNP.

His assumptions? Our natural condition is tribal. Money, liberalism and capitalism are not natural. Zero-sum is natural so that violence is required in order to get something needed. (Animal studies show this is wrong. Horses and bison males fight so that the strongest are selected to mate.) He says, “We come into this world no different from any cavemen.” Human nature is instinct and tribalism.

“The romantic idea of following our feelings and instincts can best be understood as corruption.” Entropy is nature taking back what is hers--” giving in to our human nature. Our current leaders are a sign of it, back lash vs. Identity politics, tribalism, what benefits one comes at the expense of another. Our problems are psychological, not policy problems.

Cute wording and undefined phrases like “Contemporary liberalism has a host of others it bites” are not informative. Is there a taboo on discussing human nature? Is civilization nothing but greed, anxiety and violence?