Classical Wisdom Speaks Have We Broken the Golden Thread? Why the West’s Future Depends on Remembering Its Past
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Dec 5, 2025 
James Hankins, a Harvard historian and author of *The Golden Thread*, teams up with Michael Fontaine, a Cornell classicist, to explore the West's cultural memory. They discuss why knowing our history is vital for preserving democracy and virtue. Hankins emphasizes the fragility of cultural transmission, noting past losses of texts and the Islamic world's role in preserving knowledge. They debate how much we should cherish our traditions versus innovate, and whether a revival of the Classics requires spiritual renewal. A thought-provoking conversation on the delicate balance between past and future!
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Angkor Wat As A Warning
- Hankins recounts visiting Angkor Wat and discovering how much of its civilization was lost.
- He warns Western traditions can similarly be nearly lost if transmission stops for generations.
Survival Hinges On Fragile Manuscripts
- Key classical texts often survived by narrow, fragile threads of transmission.
- Hankins highlights single manuscripts and lucky recoveries that preserved Roman law and Aristotle.
Judeo-Christian Roots Of Western Order
- Christianity and Judaism reshaped and transmitted classical ideas within legal and moral codes.
- Hankins stresses Judeo-Christian law and exclusive monotheism influenced Western social regulation.
