Hello and welcome to this Lotus Eaters interview. I'm Harry, joined today by Dr. Ricardo Dushan,

the author of a number of books on the uniqueness of Western civilization. In fact, his 2011 book

was called The Uniqueness of Western Civilization. He is a former professor at the University of New Brunswick and a historical

sociologist. Today we're going to be discussing his latest book, Greatness and Ruin, published by

Antelope Hill, which traces the self-reflection and universalism of European civilization,

its roots what it produced, and the implications going to the future.

Dr. Dushan, Ricardo, thank you very much for joining us. How are you doing today?

Yes, I'm very pleased talking to you, Lotus, what is it, Lotus Eaters.

Lotus Eat, yes, I heard about it. Yes, I heard about it.

So I'm very pleased that you asked me to do an interview.

Well, I'm very pleased to get...

Oh, well, I'm very pleased to get the opportunity to speak about it

because when Antelope Hill sent it, I wasn't familiar with your work.

But as you can tell from just looking, you are very thorough in this. You trace a whole

number of different artistic and civilizational epochs and revolutions through European

civilization. And you make what is sure to be, even among, I would imagine, parts of the

conservative right, the more civic nationalist-oriented

and minded right, a very controversial thesis, the thesis of this book, essentially being that

Europeans, beginning with the Greeks, but you can trace it back to the Indo-European war bands, made a discovery of the self,

the idea that I am me, this abstract I that's separate from the group.

This was a unique Western discovery, something that can't really be found in any great measure in any other civilization

across the world, including China, who you repeatedly refer to as one of the only real

...