A Recurrent and Global Phenomenon
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Potted histories of collapsed societies and failed civilisations Common explanations for decline and collapse Characteristic features of rising versus declining societies Creative destruction within the dark ages of history |
Investigating the phenomenon of social collapse means studying five thousand years of history across every inhabited continent. There have been numerous civilisations that have risen to a peak of power and wealth, and then degenerated--in some cases after centuries of greatness. These civilisations naturally thought that they had discovered the secret of success, but they all went the same way in the end. The common explanations for collapse involve things like climate change, meteor impacts and barbarian invasions. These cannot be the fundamental reasons, though. Healthy societies take such challenges in their stride. The real problems are internal ones. They consist of weak government, failures to innovate and the breakdown of cultural values. These constitute a recurring syndrome that is found in all declining societies. Collapse is not quite the disaster it seems. Civilisations can go down dead ends. When they disappear, new talent is able to break through. The most radical changes occur during periodic dark ages. These are times of turmoil and disruption when the historical record goes blank. Out of the chaos of a dark age, a new era is born. |
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