UnHerd with Freddie Sayers

Episode: Prof. James Hankins – The Return of Western Civilisation

Date: December 26, 2025
Guest: Prof. James Hankins (Professor of History and Western Culture, Harvard University)

Episode Overview

For this Christmas special, host Freddie Sayers unpacks the sweeping story of Western civilization with Prof. James Hankins—seasoned Harvard historian and soon-to-be faculty member at the Hamilton School of Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida. Rather than debate a hot-button issue, the conversation zooms out to a 2,500-year panorama: origins, defining ideas, crises, rebirths, and the present-day struggles of Western tradition in education and society.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Defining Western Civilization (03:29)

• Hankins prefers “Western tradition” over “Western civilization.” He follows Samuel Huntington’s notion of four interconnected “civilizations” within the Western tradition: Greek, Roman, Christendom (Medieval Christian empire), and Modern Europe/America.
• Quote:

  “What is remarkable really about the west in Western history is the degree to which the earlier civilizations have been folded into Western civilizations...when a country is conquered by an empire that its culture will be preserved is unusual.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (03:40)

2. Greek Foundations (05:22)

• Language & Political Innovation: Greek language shapes modern languages; the Greeks “invented citizenship” and devised power-sharing government structures—democracy, aristocracy, oligarchy—requiring persuasion and reason.
• Memorable Point:

  “The Greeks did not have a monarch, so they made reason their monarch.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (citing Ger Lloyd, 07:15)

3. Roman Contributions: Rule of Law (09:04)

• Romans institutionalize the concept that law is above politics, drawing on Stoic thought and the idea of natural law.
• Cicero’s vision: tyranny is violating civil law, which should represent the collective will and tradition.
• Quote:

  “The law should be above politics and it should be impervious to political influence and also the influence of wealth and power.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (10:07)

4. Internal Contradictions and Decline of the Republic (13:16)

• Even as Rome maintained the language of republicanism, it became an imperial monarchy. The ideal of legal equality was undermined by class distinctions in late Empire.

5. Rise of Christianity and Its Innovations (19:06)

• The Edict of Milan (310 AD) marked Christian toleration; eventually, the imperial cult became Christian, although the transition was gradual.
• Christianity brought new moral sensibilities: abolishing gladiatorial games, reforming sexual morals (outlawing the abuse of female slaves, protecting the weak regardless of status).
• Quote:

  “This is the beginning of the idea of...innate human dignity. And it comes out of Christianity, also comes out of Rome, that there are people whose autonomy should not be violated, especially sexually.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (21:06)

6. Endurance and High Point of Christian Civilization (25:22)

• The high point is arguably the 16th–17th century: church influence is at its peak, culture and the arts flourish, and the Christianization of populations expands.
• Post-Reformation, relentless religious conflict (e.g., over doctrines like transubstantiation vs. consubstantiation) sows seeds of secularization.

7. Enlightenment and Modernity: Seeds of Disruption (29:14, 30:45)

• The Enlightenment emerges partly from disgust at Christian tyranny (e.g., persecution post-Edict of Nantes), birthing demands for freedom of thought and religion.
• Modernity is marked by a new faith in science, secular innovation, and the bracketing of tradition.
• Memorable Critique:

  “What’s driving the modern world off the cliff rather rapidly is forgetting about its tradition and embracing innovation, embracing creative destruction with far too much joy...and far too little attention to what’s being destroyed.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (33:48)

8. Loss of Shared Cultural Foundation in Education (36:29)

• Hankins describes seeing a steady, then accelerating, decline of Western Civ in elite university curricula, replaced by narrower, more present-minded content.
• Quote:

  “Their world begins in 2010… There’s no common foundation that values the tradition.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (34:41)

9. The Renaissance and Possibility of Revival (41:25, 47:56)

• Despite leaving Harvard for Florida's Hamilton School, Hankins believes in “Renaissance”—that civilizational revivals are possible and central to Western history.
• Western tradition, though repeatedly near loss (e.g., Aristotle’s works, Roman law), has recovered in past crises.
• Quote:

  “Western tradition has the resources to revive things. Sometimes it's been very, very close to destruction... But somehow it became the basis of Western legal tradition in the 12th century.”
  — Prof. James Hankins (47:56)

10. Current "Backlash" and Politicization of Tradition (42:44)

• Hankins worries that the effort to revive Western Civ is being branded as right-wing. He points out the irony that both liberal and left-wing ideas originally stem from the Western tradition itself.
• He draws historical parallels: all major university reforms in America have been political, but hopes the study of Western Civ won’t remain a partisan cause.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the Greek Invention of Self-Government:

  “Reason is what the Greeks worshipped, in a sense.”
  (07:15)

• On Modern Innovation:

  “In America, there’s absolute worship of the word ‘innovation’, which before modern times means revolution... But since the 17th century, innovation has had a positive sense. Curiosity, which in pre-modern times was a vice of being too interested in things that don’t concern you, becomes a virtue...”
  (33:01)

• On Declining Knowledge of the Tradition:

  “I have smartest students in the world supposedly at Harvard, and I cannot communicate with a great number of them because their world begins in 2010.”
  (34:41)

Key Timestamps

• 03:29 – What is Western civilization? Four traditions.
• 05:22 – Greek civilization's enduring ideas.
• 09:04 – Roman innovation: law above politics.
• 13:16 – Republic’s decline and transformation into Empire.
• 19:06 – Christianity’s rise and moral changes.
• 25:22 – High point of Christian civilization.
• 29:14 – Reformation, religious wars, and the Enlightenment.
• 30:45 – Modernity: break and continuity.
• 33:01 – Rise of innovation as a societal virtue.
• 36:29 – Declining role of tradition at Harvard/universities.
• 41:25 – Hankins’ move from Harvard to Florida.
• 42:44 – Politicization of the Western Civ revival.
• 47:56 – Is a new Renaissance possible?

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

The conversation ends with Hankins' cautious optimism: history shows the Western tradition is resilient, able to survive near-total collapse and produce new Renaissances. But that requires active cultivation, not complacency.

“Culture is not self-perpetuating. We have to make sure that we cultivate our civilization and learn about it.”
— Prof. James Hankins (50:25)

Summary prepared for listeners seeking a sweeping yet concrete understanding of the trajectory, crisis, and possible renewal of Western civilization as narrated by a lifelong scholar at the intersection of history, education, and current cultural debate.