Culturism

With Internet debate heating up between ethno-nationalists and traditionalists over how to protect western culture from threats such as Islamic terrorism, illegal immigration and the excesses of post-modern liberalism, US academic and blogger John Kennneth Press has produced a timely work, Culturism: A word, a value, a future, which advocates a culturist approach to protecting western culture.

"Multiculturists say diversity concerns food and fashion, but deep down think all cultures are interchangeable. Culturism takes cultures and their impact seriously, " says Mr Press

While there have been a number of Internet articles on the subject of culturism, such as the series of exchanges between Steve Sailer and Jared Taylor on the merits of "citizenism versus white nationalism," this is one of the first books I am aware of that specifically articulates a culturist stance.

Culturism is a pretty substantial and ambitious publication, which runs to nearly 300 pages and includes over 300 endnotes. Through the work, Press demonstrates how culturism can be found in fields as diverse as global history, anthropology, theology, philosophy, the natural sciences and evolutionary psychology, and provides some interesting insights into the cultural development of the United States.

He argues that the West has a relatively liberal and individualist culture, revolving around principles such as the separation of church and state, individualism, and free speech, which make it very different to those cultures, which have evolved in the Middle and Far East.

In contrast to individualistic western culture, Press sees Oriental culture as being defined by race and community, and Muslim culture as being defined by religion dogma and the union of church and state.

Taking his working definition of culturism as the "science and art of protection majority cultures," Press argues that cultures are locked in a competitive struggle with one another, and that people have a right and a duty to defend their culture.

"If we lose economic power to China are vocational opportunities will be undermined. If Islamic terrorists attack us we will lose even more basic freedoms."

While arguing that the West has a right to protect western values within its own borders, the culturist principle that others cultures have a right to protect their own cultures, within their own lands, counters the neo-conservative idea that the West has a right to promote western values by force. Subsequently, Press’s culturism ties in well with the principles of prudence and self-reliance, advocated by foreign policy realists, paleo-libertarians and traditional conservatives.

While asserting that the Unites States needs an overriding majority culture to function effectively, Press argues that the multi-racial make up of its population, make it dangerous and impractical to define the countries culture along racial lines. Contrary to left liberal thinking, Press argues that the US is actually one of the world’s least racist countries, and that culturism provides a means of promoting social stability and national solidarity, whilst avoiding ethnic conflict.

Culturism is a controversial and challenging book, which is likely to draw both praise and criticism from scientific conservatives and ethno-nationalists, to economic globalists and multiculturalists, whilst making an important contribution to the increasingly urgent task of defining and protecting western culture.