The New Dark Age
Why Liberals Must Win the Culture Wars
Format:Hardback
Publisher:John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Published:20th Feb '26
Should be back in stock very soon
In an increasingly polarized age, culture wars are everywhere. They are often dismissed as superficial or confected disagreements designed to distract us from more important issues. Is this true, or are they actually more fundamental than that?
In this thoughtful and passionate intervention, renowned theologian and moral philosopher Nigel Biggar argues that the 'culture wars' are in fact political and moral debates that cut to the very quick of some of the most substantial questions of our time, ranging from the welfare of children to the way we conceive and manage ethnic and cultural differences in diverse societies. The fact that these debates are so often characterized by bad faith, lack of scruple and mindless abuse exposes the rot at the heart of the intellectual culture of the West, most especially in universities. The authoritarian suppression and the smearing of isolated dissidents, combined with the intimidation of a conflict-averse majority of bystanders, are alarming symptoms of a dangerous reality: our hard-won and fragile liberal culture of rational truth-seeking and good faith civility is under serious threat. A new dark age looms.
Mixing first-hand experience with broad ethical, political and cultural reflection, this is a powerful and erudite polemic from one of our most respected thinkers. No one who cares about the future of Western civilization can afford to miss it.
The Telegraph 'Best Books of 2026 so far'
"An illuminating exposé of the shabby intellectual tactics of modern-day academia, from a principled man who has been at the sharp end, and kept his wits about him to tell the tale later."
Kathleen Stock, author of Material Girls
"A trumpet-call at a time when many people sense that they can no longer openly express their views about society, Nigel Biggar's new book brilliantly exposes the closing of minds in national institutions such as universities, making an irrefutable case that those who disagree with an often irrational consensus have every right to state their opinions without being bullied or cancelled."
David Abulafia, University of Cambridge
"In this hard-hitting, revelatory book Nigel Biggar shows how far universities have strayed from unfettered inquiry and respect for truth. This is much more than an anti-woke polemic. By analysing in rigorous detail the evasions and distortions of his critics, he reminds us of the freedom of mind we have lost, and need to regain."
John Gray, author of The New Leviathans: Thoughts after Liberalism
"Clear, well-researched and useful [...] it's hard to put this book down without a new desire that institutions would wake up and remember that they're supposed to be committed to the collective pursuit of truth."
Nina Power, TheTelegraph
"Powerful"
Nick Spencer, ChurchTimes
"Startling"
New English Review
"His latest book displays many of the qualities that have made him so effective a campaigner. Its writing is plain and vigorous. It presses its claims doggedly but without a hint of malice. Its prejudices, which are many, are all on its sleeve."
The Spectator
ISBN: 9781509568321
Dimensions: 223mm x 145mm x 15mm
Weight: 680g
192 pages