Why Western Civilization Is Different

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11/06/2026 Ryan McMaken Zachary Yost

Is it Christianity or geography or family demographics? Is it the Enlightenment? Ryan McMaken and Zachary Yost discuss theories regarding the rise of the West and why it’s different from the rest of the world.

Discussed on the show:

The Struggle for Liberty: A Libertarian History of Political Thought by Ralph Raico

“The History of Freedom in Christianity“ by Lord Acton

“The History of Freedom in Antiquity“ by Lord Acton

Pioneers of Capitalism by Maarten Prak and Jan Luiten van Zanden

To Have and Have Not by Gregory Clark

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The Mises Institute is a non-profit organization that exists to promote teaching and research in the Austrian School of economics, individual freedom, honest history, and international peace, in the tradition of Ludwig von Mises and Murray N. Rothbard.

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