Victor Davis Hanson, Emeritus Professor of Classics, delves into the rise and fall of great societies. He discusses how prosperity can breed complacency and vulnerability, drawing parallels between historical civilizations and modern challenges. The conversation highlights the psychological impacts of perceived stagnation despite advancements, and critiques our societal obsessions with mortality and existential threats. Through historical lenses, they explore how understanding the past can illuminate our present dilemmas and future prospects.
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insights INSIGHT
Nonlinear Progress History
The 1800s industrial revolution is a unique long success in progress with a dramatic drop in global extreme poverty.
Historically, progress isn't linear; many societies have risen and then collapsed, reversing standards of living.
insights INSIGHT
Affluence Breeds Angst
Despite continued economic growth, many still feel our era is worse than the past due to crisis perceptions.
Affluent societies often dwell on unresolved problems, overlooking the tremendous progress made.
insights INSIGHT
Centralized Complexity Breeds Fragility
Complex, centralized societies that limit individual autonomy can lead to societal vulnerability and collapse.
Examples like the Mycenaeans show how over-specialization and centralized control hinder resilience and lead to disappearance.
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The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edward Gibbon
This magisterial history, written by Edward Gibbon, covers the peak of the Roman Empire, the history of early Christianity, the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and the rise and fall of various other empires and civilizations up to the fall of Byzantium in 1453. Gibbon's work is renowned for its thorough scholarship, diverse sources, and engaging prose. He argues that the Roman Empire succumbed to barbarian invasions partly due to the gradual loss of civic virtue among its citizens and critiques the role of Christianity in the empire's decline. The work was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1789 and has remained a seminal work in historical literature despite some criticisms from modern scholars[2][4][5].
The Satyricon
Petronius
The Satyricon, written in Latin, is a Menippean satire that combines prose and verse to depict the lives of three young men—Encolpius, Ascyltos, and Giton—as they engage in various outlandish and often perverse adventures in southern Italy during the mid-1st century AD. The novel is renowned for its vivid portrayal of everyday Roman life, exposing the vulgarity and pretentiousness of the wealthy. It includes the famous 'Cena Trimalchionis' (Dinner of Trimalchio), which satirizes the excesses and pretensions of the Roman elite. The work is considered one of the gems of Western literature and a precursor to the modern novel form[2][4][5].
For the summer season, All Else Equal will be alternating between new episodes and reruns. On this week’s episode, we’re revisiting our conversation with historian Victor Davis Hanson.
History shows that as societies rise to greatness, the scales eventually tip back and those societies fall. But what leads to that fall and are we heading toward one?
In this episode, hosts and finance professors Jonathan Berk and Jules van Binsbergen speak with historian Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution who specializes in classics and military history.
The conversation explores the complexities and fragilities of successful societies like the Mycenaeans, Romans, and Byzantines, how specialization can lead to higher living standards but also increased vulnerability, and our existential worries about the future.
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