Customer Reviews

Staring Into Chaos: Explorations in the Decline of Western Civilization

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I'm thankful I came across this book! I give it 5 stars because the material - a well written summary on the essential works of three prominent 20th century social thinkers who made it their life's work to ponder the rise and fall of past civilizations - has changed the way I look at the world. Mr. Brander's prose is lucid and consistent; and is accessable to the average reader. The content of the book illuminates the dynamics of civilizations past; it also speaks on the state of present-day Western civilization and the possibilities for its future. I highly recommended this book to those interested in either world history, sociology, or in the future of humanity.

A brilliant discussion of Toynbee, Spengler & Sorokin. Particularly good on the background to these thinkers.

This book tells how every civilization in history rises and falls, including our own. For any intelligent reader concerned about what is happening around us and within us, this book is very satisfying. A brilliant and valuable effort!

This book deals with a subject that has been overlooked and often discredited ---the idea of Grand History, or the notion that history's trends, currents and eddies, are known, or can be known, charted, devined, and (in its broadest outlines) predicted. That was the thesis of the three grand history theorists discussed in this book, Spengler, Toynbee and Sorokin.

That such notions have been both discredited and dismissed in the modern world, is probably not surprising; there is little if any empirical proof that one can being to bear; interpretation as to where society is at any stage of development is highly subjective, and if theory only predicts in terms of epochs (of unmeasurable interludes) then predictabily becomes a fallacy.

And that is why any notion of grand history has been undermined. From Marx & Hegel to Samuel P. Huntingdon and Francis Fukuyama (writers whose ideas are not discussed in this book) all ability to analyse the past and present and predict the future is merely imposing the outlines of a particulary ideaology upon the society, or civilisation in question.

That being the case, like all thinkers there are certain timeless ideas that grand historical theory (commonly known as "historicism") brings into question. What defines a society? When has the society or civilisation reached its appotheosis? What leads to its destruction and ascendancy by other societies? What stage of development are we currently living in?

These are legitimate, though perhaps unaswerable, questions. Each theorist has their own explanation. I found the book very interesting in that is does force one's mind towards thinking of greater questions about society and ascendent civilisations.

Thinking in terms of Toynbee, for example, is the US the new universal world imperium, increasingly insular and unable to adjust to the outside barbarians knocking at the door?Does the increasing rise of irrational religion and turning of people towards mysticism signal the return of a new dark age?

One has to be careful here. One is tempted to say yes to all of the above, but even cursory glance at US corporate domination reveals a fairly healthy ascendancy of science and technology that dominate and thrive in international world competition. Does that merely mean that the US is in the last stages of civilisation like the flowering of the Greek states before civil war and eventual supplanting by the imperium of Rome? Or does it just mean that these thinkers got it wrong and they have nothing to contribute in terms of modern thinking? I neither know, nor have the answer. Part of the beauty of the human journey is the survival of the individual and the society to adapt and feel comfortable with not having ALL of the answers, but never flinch in striving to understand --- even though you know that the effort is doomed from the start, the journey is more important than the arriving --- indeed one never arrives. That for me is the appeal of this book. It purports several journeys into historical understanding. Although I do not agree with the end result, the journey is exhilarating.

The following caveats apply to this book:

1) It is an overview of the theories, not a critical appraisal. As such it serves as an admirable outline to the thoughts of these three thinkers.

2) The critical analysis comes at the end of the book, but it does not include enough linkage with other modern exponents of Grand Historical Theory (Huntingdon, Kennedy, and Fukuyama) as well as other historical antecedents (Hegel, Marx and Nordau).

3) It is well written, but at times I think that the author unconsciouly mimics the style of the historians he is describing. But that does not detract from the flow of the work.

4) All of the three thinkers analysed attribute undue significance to the strength of Christianity in the development of the West. Its decline also signals its demise. I am sure that this is overly simplistic.

5) In addition that selection of Sorokin with Toynbee and Spengler is also highly selective; Sorokin is not recognised as a historian per se. He was one of the fathers of modern Sociology. His inclusion is probably just the preference of the writer more than any overt similarity with the other Great Theory Historians.

6) There are also some serious typo errors, particularly at the end of the section on Toynbee. This needs to be corrected in future editions -- on some pages there are up to 10 typos.

In sum this book is great for those who like to think of eternal questions. Who love a good cup of tea late at night with a good book pondered long after put down. It is a book for those grasping at the edges of history, trying to find a pattern where there is none. It is a book for those who feel happy knowing that there are no good answers of absolute truth, only a whole lot of good questions. The joy of living is in asking the questions. The dark danger in living will always be with those who KNOW the answer.

By reading this book, I saved myself a decade of pondering on the failings and disintegrations in our nation, our society and our world. It's immensely informative, a rich and rewarding read! It can be read again and again...

I interviewed Brander on this book. It is wonderfully written, insightful, and gives much food for thought. A great introduction to Toynbee and other seminal thinkers.