Chances are, you are aware of who Ben Shapiro is. It’s actually pretty possible that, since you’re probably conservative since you’re on the website, you’re already a relatively avid fan of Ben Shapiro already.
Well, he recently came out with a new book How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, so I decided to read the book he wrote before his newest book comes out at my local library The Right Side of History: How Reason and Moral Purpose Made the West Great.
I’m anxious to get my grubby paws on his newest book because I find Ben Shapiro to be a good explainer and extremely well informed. He’s very right-leaning and outspoken about his beliefs. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to respect what he’s done.
About the Author
Ben Shapiro is probably one of the most well-known conservatives out there. He’s the most right-leaning voice in the unofficial group The Intellectual Dark Web.
I’m sure that name piqued your interest, so I’ll explain: The Intellectual Dark Web is a group of individuals that cross political stances but are unified through their willingness to talk to individuals on the other side of the aisle.
The IDW, as the cool kids abbreviate it, agree that the biggest issues in politics, and the world as a whole, stem from things like identity politics, political correctness, partisan political motivations, the indoctrination of the higher education system, and mainstream media operating on political motivations.
Since the IDW is an unofficial group, no true members exist. They are all, typically despised by both sides of the political spectrum because of their coalescing with the other side.
The group got their name from Eric Weinstein on one of his podcasts to classify the group of intellectuals that span the political spectrum but discuss with one another the deeper meaning behind everything in life. Other prominent members include Ben Shapiro, the aforementioned Weinstein, Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, Steven Pinker, Joe Rogan, Dave Rubin, and Claire Lehmann.
Of course, the lack of official cohesion means that these people simply have their own platforms that they encourage healthy debate on to try and understand the opposing views.
Back to Shapiro – Ben Shapiro began his career as a columnist at the age of 17, the youngest in history. He writes for Newsweek, Creators Syndicate, and maintains his position of editor and chief at The Daily Wire, a conservative based news outlet that he founded.
He wrote for Breitbart news for a few years, but he felt that a lot of their stories were aimed at being too conservative in story choices. This differs from how he runs The Daily Wire because that newspaper is aimed at giving the biggest news stories from a conservative perspective instead of handpicking conservative stories.
With the release of How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps, Shapiro has written 11 books.
He also hosts his own radio show and podcast called The Ben Shapiro Show, where he highlights the biggest news stories and gives them a conservative commentary.
Lastly, Ben Shapiro is well known for being the fastest speaker in the history of the world. He is a professional public speaker in addition to his already very busy schedule.
Summary
The Right Side of History was mainly written because of Ben Shapiro’s career as a public speaker.
In 2016 Ben Shapiro was set to give a speech on the UC Berkley campus. The tickets were set to be sold out. However, when Shapiro showed up there was a ton of mostly peaceful protesters…they weren’t so peaceful actually.
The protestors turned rioters weren’t allowing anyone in the auditorium. Allegedly, there were some professors at the college that were telling their students that Shapiro was a white supremacist and that they should all protest his being allowed to speak on the campus that was once lauded as a haven for free speech.
Ironically, Shapiro’s speech was set to be over the importance of free speech and rational debate. Also, ironic, is that Shapiro was being accused of being racist. He is a well-known practicing Jew. As Shapiro is always quick to point out, Jews are the most prejudiced minority out of any minority worldwide. I mean WWII was focused on killing Jews as an example.
Anyway, this event led Shapiro to feel the need to explain his beliefs on a very deep and personal level. He did this through The Right Side of History.
Although Shapiro can be a little abrasive with calling some people out for their ignorance and hypocrisy, Shapiro is extremely dedicated to appropriate and honest reporting. He just does all this from the perspective of a conservative.
The Right Side of History is Shapiro showing the historical, philosophical, and humanist ideas and behind conservativism. He expands on this to show how dramatic it was for the United States to be established as a free nation.
Shapiro makes a strong point to not force his beliefs or explain why the other side is wrong – he saves that for his radio show – instead, Shapiro spends the whole book showing that the United States was built on strong principles. Those principles must be upheld because they are so unique, and they work. He makes sure to say that history isn’t always pretty, but it’s absolutely necessary to remember where things come from. Many great thinkers have already put in the work for the establishment of the nation, we just need to maintain it.
Review
Now you know about the author and the summary, or at least the goal of the book. What matters at this point is: Is it worth the read?
Ben Shapiro pulls no punches in The Right Side of History. He is brutally honest. He talks about how terrible slavery was, but that modern slavery isn’t based on race but opportunity.
Shapiro puts onto the paper the reasoning and philosophies of conservativism. Instead of just roasting the policies and ridiculous statements of the left, Shapiro explains why the conservative view is the correct one.
He still leaves room for debate but encourages the reader to do some personal study to find which side their personal beliefs fit.
The most important thing that The Right Side of History does is that it gives the basis for the nation as a whole to grab on to. Regardless of personal and deeper political beliefs, Shapiro points out that both sides of the political aisle come from the same deep system of beliefs. He also points out how the left is trying to manipulate the story to be more “inclusive” but essentially punishing a large portion of people for simply being born in a majority. That also happens to be the main focus of the recent release as well! So, if that topic interests you pick up How to Destroy America in Three Easy Steps too.
Regardless of which side you align more with politically, it’s smart to know the why’s of your beliefs. This can only be acquired through study and self-reflection on personal beliefs. When it comes to the study of conservativism, The Right Side of History is one of the best places to start. A close second would be the Christian Bible and Stoic philosophy.
No matter if you’re conservative or liberal, read this book to understand conservativism better. Then read some books for the opposing view as well. Don’t get stuck in your own feedback loops. Diversify the voices you’re hearing to get the most well rounded and honest broader view of what is going on in the world.
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