Are we entering a new Dark Age?
The Dark Ages. We think of them as being from the time the Roman Empire fell--around 500 CE to the beginning of the Renaissance--around 1100 CE.
The other day, I commented on the decision of the Trump Administration deciding to dismantle the Center for Atmospheric Studies and asked are we entering a new Dark Age?
No one picked up on it. However, the more I have thought about it the more concerned I have become. I think it deserves a thread of its own.
Here are a few indications society may be entering a new dark age.
First, there is the erosion of shared truth. Large group of people no longer agree on basic facts. The climate change question is a good example. While the vast majority of the scientific community agree there is climate change, it has not filtered down to the people at least in America. The current administration has questioned major universities. There is a group who wants to press forward on Inclusivity but there is an equally large group who wants to ignore it. There are competing realities which are replacing common civic understanding. Historically. this has happened during the fall of many empires.
Second, there is the decline in institutional trust. Governments, courts, the media, science and education lose credibility. People turn to conspiracy, charismatic figures, and/or tribal identity for certainty.
Third, there is the concentration of wealth and a widening income gap. When CEOs are making 600 times more than the laborer on the factory floor, we are approaching a time where there are overlords vs peasants. This is one of the strongest predictors of unrest and fragmentation.
Fourth, we have become technologically dependent, but it does not mean we are technologically literate. People are relying on complex systems they no longer understand. When knowledge becomes concentrated in a small elite, societies become fragile.
Fifth, there is the rise of anti-intellectualism. Libraries, universities, and research institutions face political and economic pressure. Knowledge becomes harder to preserve and transmit.
Sixth is the fragmentation of political communities. Polarization becomes so intense, compromise is impossible. Groups begin to see each other as enemies rather than fellow citizens.
Seven, there is the decay of infrastructure. Roads, bridges, power grids, water systems and other public services deteriorate.
Eight. A cultural amnesia sets in. People lose connection with context and long-term thinking. Short term emotions replace long term planning. Myths and nostalgia replace memory and analysis.
Nine. Authoritarianism or extremist movements fill power vacuums. When institutions weaken, strongmen or radical ideologies arise. They promise order, but they accelerate decline.
Ten. There is the loss of social cohesion and shared purpose. Communities fracture. Loneliness, alienation and distrust arise. Without an underlying story, societies struggle to act collectively. And,
Eleven. There is the decline even collapse of population growth. The birthrate worldwide suggest we are not replacing ourselves in many areas, and recent pandemics show just how vulnerable we are to new diseases.
One more, ecological collapse. We have climate change. Deserts are growing worldwide. Fresh water is becoming scarcer. We are drowning in our own trash. Food is scarce in many parts of the world. Our world is much more different than it was 20 years ago.
As I wrote all this down, I could not help but think how the United States is not faring well in any of these categories, but we are not the only ones. There is the relatively recent collapse of the Soviet Union. The EU has its own pressures. Great Britian is trying to stand alone and not making a go of it very well. South American and African countries are in deep debt, no thanks to more industrialized nations which raped much of their resources
So, the question is are we on the verge of a new Dark Age?
The other day, I commented on the decision of the Trump Administration deciding to dismantle the Center for Atmospheric Studies and asked are we entering a new Dark Age?
No one picked up on it. However, the more I have thought about it the more concerned I have become. I think it deserves a thread of its own.
Here are a few indications society may be entering a new dark age.
First, there is the erosion of shared truth. Large group of people no longer agree on basic facts. The climate change question is a good example. While the vast majority of the scientific community agree there is climate change, it has not filtered down to the people at least in America. The current administration has questioned major universities. There is a group who wants to press forward on Inclusivity but there is an equally large group who wants to ignore it. There are competing realities which are replacing common civic understanding. Historically. this has happened during the fall of many empires.
Second, there is the decline in institutional trust. Governments, courts, the media, science and education lose credibility. People turn to conspiracy, charismatic figures, and/or tribal identity for certainty.
Third, there is the concentration of wealth and a widening income gap. When CEOs are making 600 times more than the laborer on the factory floor, we are approaching a time where there are overlords vs peasants. This is one of the strongest predictors of unrest and fragmentation.
Fourth, we have become technologically dependent, but it does not mean we are technologically literate. People are relying on complex systems they no longer understand. When knowledge becomes concentrated in a small elite, societies become fragile.
Fifth, there is the rise of anti-intellectualism. Libraries, universities, and research institutions face political and economic pressure. Knowledge becomes harder to preserve and transmit.
Sixth is the fragmentation of political communities. Polarization becomes so intense, compromise is impossible. Groups begin to see each other as enemies rather than fellow citizens.
Seven, there is the decay of infrastructure. Roads, bridges, power grids, water systems and other public services deteriorate.
Eight. A cultural amnesia sets in. People lose connection with context and long-term thinking. Short term emotions replace long term planning. Myths and nostalgia replace memory and analysis.
Nine. Authoritarianism or extremist movements fill power vacuums. When institutions weaken, strongmen or radical ideologies arise. They promise order, but they accelerate decline.
Ten. There is the loss of social cohesion and shared purpose. Communities fracture. Loneliness, alienation and distrust arise. Without an underlying story, societies struggle to act collectively. And,
Eleven. There is the decline even collapse of population growth. The birthrate worldwide suggest we are not replacing ourselves in many areas, and recent pandemics show just how vulnerable we are to new diseases.
One more, ecological collapse. We have climate change. Deserts are growing worldwide. Fresh water is becoming scarcer. We are drowning in our own trash. Food is scarce in many parts of the world. Our world is much more different than it was 20 years ago.
As I wrote all this down, I could not help but think how the United States is not faring well in any of these categories, but we are not the only ones. There is the relatively recent collapse of the Soviet Union. The EU has its own pressures. Great Britian is trying to stand alone and not making a go of it very well. South American and African countries are in deep debt, no thanks to more industrialized nations which raped much of their resources
So, the question is are we on the verge of a new Dark Age?
Comments
Do we? For that matter, do "we" all see them as "dark"? There was the fall of the Roman Empire, yes, but that's not the same thing.
That doesn't mean there aren't terrible issues now, with terrible things going on, that can lead to terrible things in the future, but I think this is assuming a lot of unfair negative stuff about the so-called "Dark Ages."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages_(historiography)#Modern_scholarly_use
I’m with those who question whether “the Dark Ages” is a helpful or historically accurate designation. I also suspect an accurate take on what’s really going on now will require some distance.
I agree with that suspicion. I am hoping that this (in the US and various parts of Europe) is a last gasp of something nasty that we are dealing with, or possibly just the recurrence of something nasty that we have to deal with periodically, and not the beginning of something like Nazi Germany or the USSR or North Korea. But we simply won’t know yet, I think. And much depends on what people will do in response to the bad things that are happening.
Originally posted by Gramps:
Second, there is the decline in institutional trust. Governments, courts, the media, science and education lose credibility. People turn to conspiracy, charismatic figures, and/or tribal identity for certainty.
This, surely, is the human condition. At what stage in human history have people trusted the government to e.g. tax them fairly? At what stage have we been free of conspiracy theories? Charismatic figures have flourished throughout the centuries.
Some time ago I tried to find a statement in the press from every decade in the last 150 years expressing the opinion that the education young people were receiving was inferior to the education the previous education had received. Over the decades a chorus of disapprobation over e.g. the introduction of newfangled subjects such as algebra, poor spelling (an evergreen topic if there ever was one!), the introduction of "modern" authors to replace "classics" and always, always, complaints about the lack of respect. Education losing credibility has been an ongoing process - it's astonishing it has any credibility to lose!
Looking round at modern society, things are bad. I remember the optimism of the 1960s - the Space Race, and life getting better for many people (okay, also the Cold War and threat of nuclear destruction). Now we've got fascism on the rise, genocide, women's rights being rolled back, LGBTQ+ rights threatened, climate disaster getting ever closer, stagnant wages as the rich get ever richer.
There are good people out there trying to make changes for the better, but it's very difficult.
Agreed.
AFF
ISTM that in the part of the world we live in and hear about there is a decline.
I'm not worried about population decline. As far as the (over)use of the planet's resources goes, this would be a good thing. At the moment the world population is over twice what it was in 1971 when I first became aware of The Limits To Growth. My opinion is that we have multiplied and filled the earth, and so to call for large families now is irresponsible.
Despite much good will that can be found, there seems to be a decline in civility in e.g. road use and shown in divisive attitudes promoted by influential people.
There also seems to be a rise in people believing conspiracy theories and rejecting science.
I don't see rejection of anthropomorphic climate change on the Ship, but there is plenty of it in Australian society, even by farmers whose farming is affected by it, despite the massive rise in insurance costs and the reduction of insurance availability for cover against the natural disasters of flood and fire.
I'm not expecting that I won't be called upon again to provide disaster recovery care again.
Similarly I see changes within the last few years, fuelled by right-wing popularists and social media. Open racism is now normal, rather than being hidden. A story about migrants drowning at sea or, as was the case recently, freezing to death, is greeted by thousands of "laugh" emojis. It's all about narratives and slogans. MAGA. Stop The Boats, Leave Means Leave, Send Them Back. I don't know how to effectively fight back against the tsunami of hatred.
When I hear or see it from an individual I challenge it. But it feels like p*ssing into the wind.
And opens you up to an abusive pile-on.
While there is some debate about how far the Roman Empire collapsed or mutated the archaeological evidence is that there was much less trade and somewhat lower population in the period.
Despite an increase in protectionism I don't think global trade is collapsing. The more concerning comparison is the nineteen twenties and thirties.
Yes, this.
When I hear the phrase "dark ages" I think of all the art, maths and physics involved with building medieval cathedrals. Maybe it doesnt count because of the association with religion, which as all enlightened people know is a "bad thing."
TBH I prefer it this way. People who think like this have always thought like this, just hidden behind a veneer of civility. I think of photographs of Auschwitz staff and guards enjoying their company picnic. The face of evil is bland bland bland. I would rather be able to know where these people live and breathe so as to be able to steer clear of them.
I remember in the early 90s the KKK wanted to come to the small town I lived in in Ontario. There was a general outcry and they were run out of town on a rail. I was more interested to know why they thought our town was a good place to plant their flag. I would rather have rented them a hall and then watched who went to the meeting.
AFF
Those mediaeval cathedrals were mostly built after the period that used to be called the "Dark Ages".
But the "Dark Ages" obviously preserved the knowledge that enabled the building.
@Leorning Cniht the art, maths and physics for those later medieval cathedrals didn't come out of nowhere. Also most of them were built on earlier cathedrals or churches.
“Dark Ages,” regardless of whether it is an historically accurate term or not, describes an extended length of time—centuries even.
So in asking “Is society as we know it about to take a giant step backwards?,” or “Are we on the verge of a civil contraction?,” how giant a step or contraction are we talking about? Are we talking about a step backwards or contraction that could last for years? Decades? Generations? Longer? Are we talking about a step backwards or contraction that is part of a regular pendulum swing, where we can expect the pendulum to swing the other way relatively soon?
That is what I am asking. No doubt we are experiencing some contractions now. Will it be short term, or will it be long term: decades? generations? longer?
But it's comparable, I think, to anti-Irish / anti Roman Catholic rhetoric in Scotland a hundred years ago, and that faded away.
The interesting thing in this context is that they are really a "dark age" in the sense that we know almost nothing about them.
Which is quite possibly how the future will look at our era after the great extinction event.
And the missed point became a tangent.
In terms of human attitudes and rights, which way is “forward”? Who is to say that future sociological historians won’t consider the current direction of change to be a positive reversal of the decadent permissiveness of the late 20th/early 21st Century?
The Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they began arriving in the 5th century but were effectively Christianised by the 7th.
Tangent closed: I'm not sure we are entering a new 'dark age' but we are living in what the probably apocryphal Chinese proverb calls 'interesting times.'
The OP presupposes that what we've had so far since WW2 isn't a 'Dark Age.' As @Marvin the Martian suggests, religious conservatives, of whom there are very few aboard Ship, wouldn't regard the sexual revolution and other social changes since the '60s as being partial 'enlightened.'
75% of Malagasies live in extreme poverty. Are they enjoying the benefits of globalisation and affluent liberalism?
Things are pretty shitty for many people in many parts of the world and have been for some considerable time.
What I think we are seeing are more atomised Western societies and certainly many of the ills @Gramps49 lists in the OP.
The Dark Ages was coined in order to highlight the supposed golden age of the Classical era - it wasn't because there actually was a social decline at that time but simply because the Western Roman Empire fell. Historians wanted to link themselves with the scholars of the Western Roman Empire. @Gramps49 I am curious as to what ecological/environmental decline during the quote unquote Dark Ages you are referring to, because the Little Ice Age came well after then and as far as I know was not anthropogenic. Meanwhile many countries are making huge strides in green technology - this isn't a good time for it in the US but the US isn't the whole world.
Well, there was widespread deforestation in Europe. There was forest degradation and agricultural exhaustion in the British Isles. There was drought and collapse in Mesoamerica. Parts of North Africa experienced overgrazing and growth of deserts especially in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Persia. There was irrigation mismanagement in Mesopotamia. Soil salinity became a major agricultural problem. And then, with increased urbanization in Europe in particular there was the problem of waste management and poor sewage removal resulting in widespread disease pandemics.
While many countries have made great progress in green technologies, granted, they can hardly control the continued ecological degradation caused by the US. Moreover, if there is an economic collapse in the US, the rest of the world would follow.
Claiming that the US is uniquely bad is still American exceptionalism.
And the idea that they were "backward" and "stupid" is a prejudice that only came about during the Renaissance.
I think what we're experiencing now might be more akin to the early part of the Reformation, with widespread instability, plagues, and social institutions and assumptions crumbling all around.
https://www.treehugger.com/ancient-civilizations-were-destroyed-climate-change-4869712
https://www.treehugger.com/ancient-civilizations-were-destroyed-climate-change-4869712
https://brewminate.com/scorched-empires-climate-collapse-and-resilience-in-the-ancient-world/
Since 60% of the global foreign exchange reserves in held in US dollars and some 80 percent of international transactions involve the dollar in some way, if the US would experience economic collapse, the rest of the world would follow. It is not about exceptionalism; it is pure economic reality.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex-currencies/091416/what-would-it-take-us-dollar-collapse.asp
I'm not sure there's evidence of medieval soil erosion specifically in Europe, although I don't know why we are getting hung up on a particular time period in this discussion.
1850- The Anglo-American Peace Association meeting in Frankfurt might herald a new Dark Age (warnings of Russian aggression)
1876 - Had we not fought the Crimean War we might have entered a new Dark Age (Russian aggression again)
But a deluge in the 1920s, as the country struggled to recover and find a new identity after the First World War:
1919 - rising food prices and profiteering are leading the way to a new Dark Age
1922 - A New Dark Age (long list, including "a plethoric growth in knowledge simultaneously with the stunting of wisdom" )
1928 - a general feeling that Western civilisation was approaching a new Dark Age (post-war relaxation of moral standards, conflict between capital and labour) .
I don't have time today to explore this fully, but intend to return to it.