The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success

From the New York Times columnist and bestselling author of Bad Religion, this is a powerful portrait of how our wealthy, successful society has transitioned into an age of gridlock, stalemate, public failure, and private despair.

A Society Tested and Found Wanting

The era of the coronavirus has tested America, revealing conspicuous failures in our leaders and institutions. This failure, however, shouldn’t come as a surprise. Beneath the social-media frenzy and reality-television politics lie the deep truths of our time:

• Elite incompetence
• Cultural exhaustion
• The flight from reality into fantasy

In The Decadent Society, Ross Douthat casts a cold, analytical eye on these trends, explaining what happens when a powerful society ceases advancing. He examines how the combination of wealth and technological proficiency, coupled with economic stagnation, political stalemate, and demographic decline, creates a unique civilizational crisis.

Defining an Era of Disappointment

Douthat explores the defining characteristics of our age, including:

• The futility of ideological debates
• The repetitiveness of pop culture
• The decline of sex and childbearing
• The escapism found in drug use

He argues that our era is marked by disappointment—a pervasive sense that all the frontiers are closed and that every path forward leads only to the grave.

A Call for Understanding and Perspective

Offering a balanced perspective, Douthat corrects both optimism and despair. He provides an enlightening explanation of:

• How we arrived at this point
• How long our frustrations might endure
• How, through renaissance or catastrophe, our decadence might ultimately come to an end

This compelling analysis invites readers to reflect deeply on the state of our society and the possibilities that lie ahead.