I've written fairly often about Oswald Spengler and his predictions of the course of Western Civilization based on his study of and identification of commonalities in the life cycles of past civilizations. Needless to say, he has been correct in almost all of his observations. If anything, he was a bit of an optimist because he could not foresee the technologies that have amplified and spread the aging and decay of our civilization into even the most remote town and field.
One of the topics he brought up has been the depopulation that follows a civilization entering its decline. I happened across a video (immediately below) that discusses this topic and provides an overview of Spengler's thoughts. But I was disappointed in one regard because the video's creator failed to include any of Spengler's comments on the role of modern women--what he termed the Ibsen woman --in demographic decline. (Henrik Ibsen was a popular playwright of the 19th Century noted for his feminist plots including the now tired trope of a woman abandoning her family in order to "discover" herself). However, I found a second video that included this important perspective, which you can also find below.
After watching these you should have a good idea as to why certain groups, such as the Amish, have maintained high birth rates even in the face of modernity.
VIDEO: "Why Great Cities Are Destined to Die (According to Spengler)"
ThinkingWest (14 min.)
VIDEO: "Spengler On Birthrates, Feminism, And Collapse"
Auron MacIntyre (9 min.)
Feminism is cancer.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Spengler's research, it was certainly a sign of a civilization entering its decline.
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