These characteristics have eroded the progress of Western civilization more broadly. The ideals of individualism, self-interest over political commitment and reason have been particularly affected. He comments on the moral energy that led to the rise of what we currently think of as modernity. “Democracy put to the test” by Jean, on the other hand, attempts to address the question of regulation and political economy. The author comes to the conclusion that governments do not create regulations from scratch. There are motivations for such actions (Taylor,