466. The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success
Rating: ☆☆☆
Recommended by:
Author: Ross Douthat
Genre: Non Fiction, Sociology, Cultural, Economics, Politics, History, Philosophy
272 pages, published February 25, 2020
Reading Format: Book
Summary
In The Decadent Society, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat explores his thesis that the Western world is facing a crisis of decadence. Douthat describes how the combination of wealth and technological advancement combines with economic stagnation, political stalemates, cultural exhaustion, and demographic decline create a kind of “sustainable decadence,” i.e. a civilizational malaise and drift.
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My Take
While Douthat posits some interesting ideas in The Decadent Society, the sum is less than its parts. He stretches hard with various anecdotes and data to validate his theme that we are in the midst of societal decline and decadence. A few weeks after finishing, there is little memorable that I took away from this book.