Sir Kenneth Clark's "Civilisation: Heroic Materialism"

"Bright-minded young people think poorly of existing institutions and want to abolish them. Well, one doesn't need to be young to dislike institutions. But the dreary fact remains that, even in the darkest ages, it was institutions that made society work, and if civilisation is to survive society must somehow be made to work.

At this point I reveal myself in my true colours, as a stick-in-the-mud. I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time. I believe that order is better than chaos, creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta. I believe that in spite of the recent triumphs of science, men haven't changed much in the last two thousand years; and in consequence we must still try to learn from history. History is ourselves."

Lord Kenneth Clark

In this conclusion of Lord Clark's landmark "Civilisation" series, he examines how the heroic materialism of the past hundred years has been linked with a remarkable increase in humanitarianism. The achievements of engineers and scientists - Brunel and Rutherford, for example - have been matched by those of the great reformers like Wilberforce and Shaftesbury.

All 13 episodes of this magnificent view of Western Christian civilization are available on this blog. The series is a labor of love by a gentleman who clearly saw dark clouds gathering. May his remarkable reflections inspire us all to treasure and defend the enormous patrimony we have received.