Book Review: The Decadent Society by Ross Douthat
This is an excellent and annoying book. It says so many correct and thoughtful things but is also really transparent in a distracting way. Starting with the good, Decadent Society offers a comprehensive well-reasoned criticism of western modernity. The first two sections are really powerful particularly the “Comfortably Numb” chapter which discusses western cultural malaise. Douthat paints a memorable picture of a civilization stagnating intellectually, technologically, creatively, and morally. He explains the pacifying effect of endless digital distraction, virtual sex and violence, and weaves various connections to our political sclerosis, low birthrates, reduced technological innovation, and general cultural torpor. There is a lot of solid, penetrating analysis.
What annoys me is how it is written. It is easy to see why Douthat is the New York Times’ conservative columnist. He burns a lot of ink on defending progressivism and seems more interested in complaining about Trump than actually critiquing the modern cultural Left. He also deliberately conflates ‘conservatives’ with ‘republicans’ in an effort to condemn the former, which is unfair. Douthat, a supposed conservative Christian, hasn’t much negative to say about the sexual revolution, abortion, fatherless homes, radical race and gender theories, or any of the other fruits of liberalism at odds with Christian doctrine. This may explain why Peter Thiel appreciated the book. Douthat is a guy who clearly did very well in school and is writing for the 80th percentile and up crowd (the sort who still read these kinds of books). His whole schtick is a very “reasonable” sort of centrism that seeks to blame no one and vindicate everyone. It covers its tracks well but ultimately results in a rather sterile and detached critique.
Douthat is right that modern decadence is explained by many different causes. However this does not mean all causes are equally significant. Douthat’s fear of offending liberals weakens the later part of the book as it constrains his ability to imagine alternatives. His need to stay above the fray undermines what could have been a really powerful work.
Grade: B
