Bruce S. Thornton (born August 2, 1953) is an American classicist at California State University, Fresno, and research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.
Biography
Thornton received a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1975, and a Ph.D. in comparative literature in 1983. He had studied Greek, Latin, and English literature for his doctorate.
Work
History
Thornton has described his opinions as opposed to the dominant, mainstream historical tradition about the Enlightenment. He is an admirer of historian Christopher Dawson. He also subscribes to the 'Athens versus Jerusalem' thesis of Leo Strauss, in which the interplay between classical Greek ideologies of rationality and the Judaeo-Christian spiritual philosophies resulted in the creation of Western civilization.
Europe
Thornton believes that the declining belief in interpersonal ideals such as national pride and in religious ideals such as Christianity has led non-American Westerners to either substitute "political religions" such as communism and fascism into their lives or abandon having moral ideals altogether. This, in his opinion, weakens them against pressure from threats such as increasing immigration to Europe by Muslims that have higher birth rates than native Europeans. He has said, "If all of their goods are material, right, what material good is worth dying for and what material good is worth killing for?"
Publications
Thornton has published several well-received books.
Thornton has written for numerous publications including National Review Online, Heterodoxy, The Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, Arion, The Jewish Press, The San Francisco Examiner, The American Enterprise, Religious Studies Review, Intercollegiate Review, The American Journal of Philology, and FrontPage Magazine.