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Today, many people assert that we are undergoing a clash of civilizations that pits Islamist extremism against the secular values of the West. Lou Marinoff enriches and enhances this belief in his new book The Middle Way. He asserts that "the global village" of the modern world consists of four civilizations: Western, Islamic, Indian, and East Asian, all of which have "fallen prey to extremisms of various kinds." He posits that many of the world's contemporary problems stem the way these different types of extremism play out within and among these four civilizations. But Marinoff also asserts that these conflicts can be mitigated by following a "middle way," which is found in the philosophy of the ABCs, Aristotle, Buddha, and Confucius.

All three philosophers argue for moderation rather than extremism. Marinoff draws on Aristotle's belief in the "golden mean" that defines beautiful proportions, not only in geometry and art but also in life and in politics. For Aristotle, happiness comes from moderation and from purpose, from recognizing one's talents and fulfilling them. Buddha likewise advised people to eschew extremes - he saw in his lifetime the folly of both avarice and asceticism - and also argued that the key to fulfillment was within, in doing things "right," not in ideologies or religions. Confucius drew on the Tao and described the interplay of ying and yang where the two sides remain in balance with one another, "connected but different."

Marinoff argues that in our present polarized and divided world, extremism is ascendant. Sometimes even proponents of the ideas of the ABCs are drawn into this schism. In The Middle Way, Marinoff takes on ideologies from religious extremism to tribalism to political correctness and describes how the conflicts they engender can be resolved through the philosophy of the ABCs. He also believes that, "globalization is commingling the four great civilizations and dissolving their boundaries in historically unprecedented ways. Each of these civilizations is converging, as well as conflicting, with the others." Finally, Marinoff explains how the ideas of the ABCs can make our own individual lives more fulfilling.

Mark Minevich, founder and chairman of the Billion Minds Foundation, Albert Einstein Award recipient, and former CTO of IBM called The Middle Way "rigorously researched and powerfully conceived" and said it "provides valuable insights into the driving forces of the new global environment." Henry Grinberg, a psychoanalyst and author of Variations on the Beast says that "with clarity and vivacity, Lou Marinoff examines and takes to task the extremes that plague and harm many aspects of our culture: political, religious, tribal, economic, and social … I rejoice in this down-to-earth, yet profound articulation of alternative paths to sanity."

Marinoff is a professor of philosophy at The City College of New York and the founder of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association, whose certified members are trained to use philosophy in counseling and consulting roles. He speaks and lectures all over the world, and has appeared on television and in print in more than a dozen countries. He is the author of Plato Not Prozac and Therapy for the Sane.

--Caroline Patton

www.loumarinoff.com