The Revenge of Conscience: Politics and the Fall of Man

by J. Budziszewski

Dr. Budziszewski begins by turning his criticism on himself, examining the foundations of the nihilism of his early career. Describing the political effects of Original Sin, he shows how man's suppression of his knowledge of right and wrong corrupts his conscience and accelerates social collapse. The depraved conscience grasps at the illusion of "moral neutrality," the absurd notion that men can live together without a shared understanding of how things are. After evaluating the political devices, including the American Constitution, by which men have tried in the past to work around the effects of Original Sin, Dr. Budziszewski elucidates the pitfalls of contemporary communitarianism, liberalism, and conservatism. The revenge of conscience is horrifically manifest today in abortion, euthanasia, and suicide, evils brought about by the pollution of good impulses such as pity, prudence, honor, and love. The way out of this confusion, he concludes, is Christianity, a once-prevalent faith whose troubling memory men now suppress along with their knowledge of the natural law. The political responsibility of Christians is somehow to stir up that memory and that knowledge, a daunting task in a world of sound bites and shouting matches.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Religion, Politics, Christian, Catholic, Faith

184 pages, Paperback

Published November 30, 2004

About the author

J. Budziszewski (born 1952) is professor of government at the University of Texas, Austin, where he has taught since 1981. He specializes in ethics, political philosophy and the interaction of these two fields with religion and theology.

Budziszewski has written widely, in both scholarly and popular venues, about a variety of moral and political issues including abortion, marriage, sexuality, capital punishment, and the role of judges in a constitutional republic. His principal area of publication is the theory of natural law.

Apart from his scholarly philosophical work, Budziszewski is known for articles and books of Christian apologetics, addressed to a broad audience including young people and college students.

Ph.D., Political Science, Yale University, 1981.
M.A., Political Science, University of Florida, 1977.
B.A., Political Science, University of South Florida, 1975.

2002-present: Professor, Departments of Government and Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin.

1995-2002: Associate Professor, Departments of Government and Philosophy, University of Texas at Austin.

1988-1995: Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

1981-1988: Assistant Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin.

1980-1981: Acting Instructor, Departments of Political Science, Yale University.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting and challenging analysis of politics and Christianity. Budziszewski has two particularly interesting chapters critiquing liberal and conservative viewpoints. However, the entire book is worth chewing over. I love his strong, pro-life arguments.
Immensely readable and the worth the time, even if it feels occasionally "dated."


Thank you, Col Pettite, for this book!

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on the Christian view of every political ideology and how they are morally corrupt when critiqued against the lens of the Gospel. Very helpful for understanding how Christians should treat politics and interact within the political environment of this world. While it was a very dense book and sometimes hard to follow for not very intelligent readers such as myself, it is worth going back and reading again because he does a great job of arguing every point. I found it very helpful in convicting me in the way that I often have more hope in government and politics than in the Creator, and helping my friends of the Christian right, and the Christian left (yes they do exist in great numbers, especially here in NYC) focus on the salvation of the world through Christ and not the salvation of the world through a political ideology loosely based on the bible. As Mr. Budiszewski writes, " Citizenship is an obligation of the faith; therefore the Christian will not abstain from the politics of the nation-state. But his primary mode of politics must always be witness. It is a good and necessary thing to change the welfare laws, but better yet to go out and feed the poor. It is a good and necessary thing to ban abortion, bet better yet to sustain young women and their babies by taking them into the fellowship of the faith. This is the way that the kingdom of God is built. It is not by the world that the world is moved; may we not be moved by it either. "

[Don Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon. In the meantime, consider these quotations from the book:

"I am expected to look after the least of Christ's brethren myself, not to have the government send them checks."

"Many [college students] also construe the Jeffersonian right to pursue happienss as a right to be made happy by the government."

"The City upon a Hill is the Body of Christ, not the United States of America."

"[T]he mission of the Church to the world is to preach the gospel, not to prop up any worldly regime or ideology."

"[N]ot many of us doubt God's existence and then start sinning. Most of us sin and then start doubting his existence."

"Though it always comes as a surprise to intellectuals, there are some forms of stupidity that one must be highly intelligent and educated to commit. God keeps them in his arsenal to pull down mulish pride..."

"Visualize a man opening up the access panels of his mind and pulling out all the components that have God's image stamped on them. The problem is that they all have God's image stamped on them, so the man can never stop."

"One of the most remarkable phenomena of our century is the rise of entire political movements devoted to the reationalization of certain sins."

[Greg Bittner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Budziszewski has an incredible gift for definition, though he coins some really big words for the philosophies he identifies. Sometimes I wished he'd invoke pop-culture references to name his "isms." I started this book years ago and got bogged down in chapter 3, but I finally re-started it in earnest, and the conclusion made it *entirely* worth the effort. I have two other books by the same author in my queue, one of which is "What We Can't Not Know," a concept he introduces in this book. Parting question: Why does the author choose to be known by his barely-pronounceable surname, giving his first name as simply "J?" Is his first name even more of a tongue-twister?

[Aaron Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

J. Bud is an excellent writer. The chapters are perfect in length and depth. Although, clearly dated in some areas, he walks you through the myth of neutrality when it comes to morality. He speaks to the abortion issue at large, but one can easily see that there certainly are things we 'can't not know' because we are made in the image of God. An excellent resource for those entering higher education as a student or professor, and a must read for anyone taking an ethics course.

[Phil Kline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a simple read, but a fascinating series of examinations of politics in light of the reality that man knows right from wrong yet is inclined to do wrong from birth. The title chapter poses the most interesting propositions regarding the misuse of moral motivations in committing immorality. A must read for those looking to better understand political philosophy or human nature.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a polemic. Well written, but missing something. The arguments aren’t exactly persuasive though they are fun to read.

[Phil Cotnoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this back in in the late 2000's and found it both mind-blowing and beyond my comprehension. I re-read it a few years later, maybe mid-2010's, after becoming familiar with contemporary politics, and understood it much better. Budziszewski is an excellent writer and a provocative thinker. He is particularly strong on the issue of natural law, or 'what we can't not know'. I would like to read more of his books.

[Justin Wilkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible analysis of the way that God uses conscience. I understand that it’s geared toward politics, and the critiques of both liberal and conservative ideology are well thought out and put forth well. He is pretty fond of Aristotle, but outside of that this book is incredible and tugs at the heart!

[Ross Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who wants to understand human psychology, sociology, justice and religion. Budziszewski writes with incisive wit and clarity — as usual.

[Candice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was incredible. J. Budziszewski did a wonderful job describing the political effects of Original Sin and the consequences of a corrupt conscience. There were two passages which I found particularly brilliant. The first can be found in chapter three:

"Eventually there is something to which every knee bows."

The second can be found in chapter nine:

"We are charged to be sustainers of this ever-perishing world, strewers of preserving salt, apostles of common grace. We are charged to prepare, by these lesser means, the way for the greater grace that saves: to make straight a highway for the King, Whose hem, but by grace, we are not fit to touch."

I recommend this to anyone looking to acquire a better understanding of the powerful force that is our conscience.

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read two essays in this compilation of Dr. Budziszewski's wonderful articles. 'The Problem with Conservatism/Liberalism' should required reading for anyone with a philosophical bent towards politics. Let me correct myself. Even if they do not have philosophical bent these two essays should be read anyway.

[Jim Grapes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed diving into the themes of Natural Law and Absolutes as a basis for political and moral judgment. Occasionally, the book was a hard read with its comparisons of compound abstract thoughts. It was worth the effort.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the top ten most influential books i have read. i wish i read this earlier in life. deconstructing liberal political theory from the view of sin and guilt.va watershed book that opened my eyes. conservatism doesn't get off free either. highly recommended.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and frightening journey into the suppression of conscience and its disastrous effects on the polis.