Civilisation under siege? The Academy 2024

Introduction

The problems of the current moment are frequently described as ‘civilisational’ in their importance. Some say the culture wars pose a threat to the building blocks of civilisation: family life, privacy, or civility. Others would argue the real threat to civilisation is from ‘global challenges’ like climate change or AI. In the wars in Gaza or Ukraine, some repose arguments about the ‘clash of civilisations’. But in many quarters, especially in academia, the very idea of civilisation is dismissed or treated as a dirty word. Wherever we look, there is a sense that civilisation itself is under siege from hostile forces.

But what is civilisation? How does it emerge? At the origin of the Western tradition, the distinction between civilised and barbarian formed a crucial part of our self-understanding. For the Greeks or Romans, certain customs and ways of life marked them off from their “barbarian” neighbours. Throughout the West, the idea of civilisation formed a key part of the motor of history, from the Renaissance through to the Enlightenment and beyond. But now such distinctions are viewed with suspicion – just one more piece of baggage associated with colonialism.

As ever, The Academy will bring together people from all walks of life who are committed to rethinking some of the basic building blocks of political life. Join us as we look at what civilisation is, whether it is under threat, why it might be worth defending.

Programme outline

For the full programme and session blurbs, click here.

PLENARY DISCUSSIONS

FROM DECOLONISATION TO ISLAMISM: CIVILISATION UNDER SIEGE?
Professor Frank Furedi executive director, MCC Brussels

SHAKESPEARE: CIVILISATION ON STAGE
Andrew Doyle writer, broadcaster, comedian

THE CLASH OF CIVILISATIONS REVISITED
Dr Tim Black books and essays editor, Spiked

IS THERE A THREAT TO WESTERN CIVILISATION?
Professor Bill Durodié, chair of Risk and Security in International Relations, University of Bath
David Frost, Lord Frost of Allenton, Conservative member of the House of Lords

RECLAIMING THE INSTITUTIONS: CAN CIVILISATION BE RESCUED?
Professor Simon Haines, founding director, Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation (Sydney)
Dr. Patrick Nash, expert on the English law of religion; founding director, Pharos Foundation (Oxford)

WHAT IS WESTERN CIVILISATION – AND HOW SHOULD WE DEFEND IT?
Bruno Waterfield Brussels Correspondent, The Times

HISTORY

THE RISE AND FALL OF INDUSTRIAL CIVILISATION
Dr Ashley Frawley columnist, Compact Magazine; sociologist,
University of Kent
Dr Nikos Sotirakopoulos visiting fellow, Ayn Rand Institute

CIVILISING MAN: THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HUMAN AND ANIMAL
Ann Furedi PhD candidate in Philosophy, VUB; author, The Moral Case for Abortion

ARTS

PRIMO LEVI: CIVILISATION AFTER BARBARISM
Sabine Beppler-Spahl, chair Freiblickinstitut e.V

CULTURE UNDER SIEGE: HIGH ART AND ICONOCLASM
Professor Ian Pace pianist and Professor of Music, Culture and Society, City University London
Vicky Richardson architecture curator; former head of architecture and Drue Heinz Curator, Royal Academy

AFTER DINNER DISCUSSION

ANTI-SEMITISM: CANARY IN THE COAL MINE?
Daniel Ben Ami journalist; creator, Radicalism of Fools

For the full programme and session blurbs, click here.

Initial reading

  • What it Means to be Human? Reflections from 1791 to the present, Joanna Bourke

  • The Civilizing Process, Norbert Elias

  • Clash of Civilisations, Samuel Huntington

  • If This Is A Man & The Truce, Primo Levi

  • Civilisation and its Discontents, Sigmund Freud

  • Inventing Western Civilization, Thomas C. Patterson

  • Gibbon: Making History, Roy Porter
  • Macbeth, King Lear, Julius Cesar, William Shakespeare

  • Education’s End: Why Our Colleges and Universities Have Given Up on the Meaning of Life, Anthony T. Kronman

  • Suggested supplements:
    – The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. 1), Edward Gibbon
    – The insularity of the human species’ in The Unlearned Lessons of the Twentieth Century: An Essay on Late Modernity, Chantal Delsol
    – New model curricula to reclaim the liberal arts (linked here)

Articles and essays

Tickets

You can choose to buy day tickets without accommodation, or tickets that include accommodation at Wyboston Lakes Resort. Tickets are subsidised to make the event available to as many people as possible.

Day tickets only include lunch

Tickets with accommodation include:
• Brilliant food: a quality breakfast (including continental and cooked options), an extensive lunch, and a three-course dinner
• Excellent facilities: access to the Wyboston Lakes gym, swimming pool and other amenities during your stay
• Social opportunities: staying the night means you’ll experience the full, collegiate atmosphere of the event and get the chance to carry on discussions over dinner and in the bar.

Have a friend who is also interested? You can save up to £50 each by doubling up with a friend. Select ‘double occupancy’ and let us know you’d like a twin room.

How to purchase

All tickets can bought via Eventbrite.

Weekend Tickets with Accommodation

• One night, single occupancy £255

• One night, double occupancy £420

• Two nights, single occupancy £360

• Two nights, double occupancy £570

Day rate (charge per day, no accommodation)

• Saturday and Sunday £135 

• Saturday only £70

• Sunday only £70

If you would like to pay a concession rate (for full time students, senior citizens and unwaged), or pay in instalments, please email geoff@ideasmatter.org.uk for further details.