"Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon?"
  • Walter's Blog.
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • About Walter
    • 1980 Joining Up - Grafton Street >
      • Arrival and First Impressions
      • First Week
      • Training
      • Passing Out
    • Yaumati Cowboy >
      • Getting on the Streets
      • Tempo of the City
      • Jumpers, pill poppers and the indoor BBQ
      • Into a Minefield.
    • Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon? >
      • Baptism By Fire
      • Kai Tak with Mrs Thatcher.
      • Home; The Boy Returns
  • 1984 - 1986
    • PTU Instructor & Getting Hitched
    • Having a go: SDU
    • Starting a Chernobyl family
    • EOD - Don't touch anything
    • Semen Stains and the rules
  • 1987 to 1992 - Should I Stay or Go?
    • Blue Lights, Sirens & Grenades
    • Drugs, Broken Kids & A Plane Crash
    • 600 Happy Meals Please!
    • Hong Kong's Best Insurance
    • Riding the Iron Horse
  • Crime in Hong Kong
    • Falling Crime Rates - Why?
    • Triads
  • History of Hong Kong Policing
    • History 1841 to 1941
    • History 1945 to 1967
    • Anatomy of the 50 cent Riot - 1966
    • The Fall of a Commissioner.
    • History 1967 to 1980
    • Three Wise Men from the West
    • The Blue Berets.
    • The African Korps and other tribes.
    • Getting About - Transport.
    • A Pub in every station
    • Bullshit Bingo & Meetings
    • Godber - The one who nearly got away.
    • Uncle Ho
  • Top 20 Films
    • 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
    • The Godfather.
    • Blade Runner
    • Kes
    • Star Wars
    • Aliens
    • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    • The Life of Brian
    • Dr Strangelove.
    • Infernal Affairs
    • Bridge on the River Kwai.
    • This Is Spinal Tap.
    • Chung King Express
    • An Officer and a Gentleman
    • PTU
    • Contact
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Family Guy Star Wars
    • Zulu
    • Hard Day's Night
  • The Long Read
    • New World Order - Something is going on!
    • How The Walls Come Down
    • War in Ukraine - the narrative and other stuff.
    • The Hidden Leader
    • The Big Game
  • Walter's Blog.
  • Home
  • Introduction
  • About Walter
    • 1980 Joining Up - Grafton Street >
      • Arrival and First Impressions
      • First Week
      • Training
      • Passing Out
    • Yaumati Cowboy >
      • Getting on the Streets
      • Tempo of the City
      • Jumpers, pill poppers and the indoor BBQ
      • Into a Minefield.
    • Why Tango in Paris, when you can Foxtrot in Kowloon? >
      • Baptism By Fire
      • Kai Tak with Mrs Thatcher.
      • Home; The Boy Returns
  • 1984 - 1986
    • PTU Instructor & Getting Hitched
    • Having a go: SDU
    • Starting a Chernobyl family
    • EOD - Don't touch anything
    • Semen Stains and the rules
  • 1987 to 1992 - Should I Stay or Go?
    • Blue Lights, Sirens & Grenades
    • Drugs, Broken Kids & A Plane Crash
    • 600 Happy Meals Please!
    • Hong Kong's Best Insurance
    • Riding the Iron Horse
  • Crime in Hong Kong
    • Falling Crime Rates - Why?
    • Triads
  • History of Hong Kong Policing
    • History 1841 to 1941
    • History 1945 to 1967
    • Anatomy of the 50 cent Riot - 1966
    • The Fall of a Commissioner.
    • History 1967 to 1980
    • Three Wise Men from the West
    • The Blue Berets.
    • The African Korps and other tribes.
    • Getting About - Transport.
    • A Pub in every station
    • Bullshit Bingo & Meetings
    • Godber - The one who nearly got away.
    • Uncle Ho
  • Top 20 Films
    • 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
    • The Godfather.
    • Blade Runner
    • Kes
    • Star Wars
    • Aliens
    • Ferris Bueller's Day Off
    • The Life of Brian
    • Dr Strangelove.
    • Infernal Affairs
    • Bridge on the River Kwai.
    • This Is Spinal Tap.
    • Chung King Express
    • An Officer and a Gentleman
    • PTU
    • Contact
    • Saving Private Ryan
    • Family Guy Star Wars
    • Zulu
    • Hard Day's Night
  • The Long Read
    • New World Order - Something is going on!
    • How The Walls Come Down
    • War in Ukraine - the narrative and other stuff.
    • The Hidden Leader
    • The Big Game
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Walter's Blog

"But how can you live and have no story to tell?" Fyodor Dostoevsky
Picture
Reflections on recent events, plus the occasional fact free rant unfiltered by rational argument. 

"If you want to read a blog to get a sense of what is going on in Hong Kong these days or a blog that would tell you what life was like living in colonial Hong Kong, this blog, WALTER'S BLOG, fits the bill."  Hong Kong Blog Review

25/5/2023 1 Comment

The Decline of the West? Maybe.

Picture
"Spengler's view of history is deeply pessimistic, and he suggests that the decline of Western civilisation is already well underway."
The return of geopolitics, catapulted forward by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, will reshape world economic activity, alliances and the standing of nations for decades to come. I've discussed some of these issues in this companion article, which explores the sort of world that will emerge as the power of the U.S. wanes, but does not disappear, while China and India rise. 

Moreover, the fact that the global South hasn't embraced the West's narrative on Ukraine is also a significant feature of the new emerging world order. Making unfavourable comparisons to the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions, they ask what is the difference?   

With so much change and confusion, many pundits grasping for comprehension of these events have sought refuge in the works of German philosopher and polymath Oswald Spengler (May 1880-May 1936).

Spengler's best-known work,"The Decline of the West", is a fascinating and controversial piece that offers a unique perspective on the history of human civilisation. Published in two volumes in 1918 and 1922, the book presents a view of cyclical rather than linear history and argues that every culture and civilisation has a life cycle that follows a predictable pattern of growth, maturity, decline, and eventual death.

At its core, "The Decline of the West" critiques the Enlightenment belief in progress and the idea that human society steadily improves over time. Spengler argues that this view is fundamentally flawed and that history is not a steady march towards progress and Enlightenment but a series of cycles of growth and decline. 

He suggests that every culture and civilisation has a unique "morphology" determining its destiny. As a result, each one will eventually reach a stage of decline and decay, no matter how advanced or successful it may be in its prime. 

Spengler's view of history is deeply pessimistic, and he suggests that the decline of Western civilisation is already well underway. He argues that the West has reached the final stage of its life cycle and is now in a state of irreversible decline. 

He asserts this came about because the West has lost touch with its roots and traditions and is now dominated by a soulless and materialistic culture devoid of any real meaning or purpose. Thus, it is easy to see why those who despair at the state of American and European societies see resonance in Spengler's ideas. 

According to Spengler, the West's decline began in the late 19th century, as it became increasingly dominated by the forces of rationalism and materialism. Spengler drew on Nietzsche's idea that, "God is dead, and we killed him." 

He suggests that the West has lost its spiritual and creative vitality and that a consumerism and mass production culture now dominates. 

Moreover, he argues that this culture is fundamentally shallow and empty and incapable of producing great works of art, literature, or philosophy. Anyone who has seen a recent Hollywood movie would agree.


For sure, something strange has indeed happened in the ethical atmosphere of the 21st-century West. A century has passed since the masses accepted Christianity as setting the norms in morality, the foundations of culture, law and values. Even fifty years ago, most people in the West thought marriage was the best instrument for social stability and for bringing up children and was solely a union between a man and a woman. That has changed—likewise, attitudes towards euthanasia.

In 2013 Putin said, "We see many Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They deny moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual."

That may explain why Putin enjoys some tacit support from the Christian right in America. Should Trump or DeSantis gain the Whitehouse, it will interesting to see if robust U.S. support Ukraine continues. 


Some scholars argue that Spengler's cyclical view of history is too simplistic and fails to account for human civilisation's complex and unpredictable nature. Others say his ideas are too dark and pessimistic and offer little hope or inspiration for the future. 

In this regard, it is worth remembering that Spengler formulated his ideas during and in the aftermath of World War One, as German society collapsed and convulsed. Moreover, he wasn't witness to the ability of Western cultures to reinvent themselves.

For example, the U.S. has shown an ability to adapt to the structural shifts and the increasing regionalisation of the world order. Atop that it
 continues to lead the world in its ability to adapt to, incorporate and develop new systems and new technologies.

Despite these criticisms, Spengler's work continues to be widely read and debated today, and it has significantly impacted many fields. For example, his influence can be seen in the study of cultural evolution, which has become an increasingly important field in recent years.

Spengler's ideas have also influenced the development of authoritarian and fascist political movements. These movements have been critical of liberal democracy, emphasising the importance of solid leadership and a centralised state. They have also been critical of the Enlightenment's emphasis on individualism and have argued that the needs of the community should take precedence over the needs of the individual.

It is important to note, however, that Spengler himself did not advocate for any specific political ideology or movement. Instead, he was a cultural pessimist who was critical of both liberalism and Marxism.

Whether one agrees with his ideas or not, it is impossible to ignore the profound impact that his work has had on our understanding of history, culture, and civilisation. 
1 Comment
Digger
27/5/2023 03:25:54 pm

The advance of civilisation is both linear and cyclical. A spiralling tube - I’m sure there’s a technical term for it - where civilisations do indeed go through a natural life and death cycle but we also, sometimes, learn from history and the next generation in the cycle does advance us to a greater or lesser degree towards “enlightenment”. I don’t subscribe to the religion but almost all religions share common tenants in terms of ethical and moral decision making. We don’t need religion for that, in fact religion is often the reason for civilisations decline, at the very least it is an evil responsible for billions of deaths over human history. What we do need is continuity of basic ethics and morals that are universal to the human condition - Respect, empathy, tolerance, more focus on common good than absolute individual rights etc. If we can achieve that then the language or politics of the succeeding civilisations is a lesser point. The “West” isn’t going away, and there is a lot of good that is already being adopted by the next civilisation in line, but the wests influence and dominance is waning. The sun is rising in the East. It too will go through the same cycle, hopefully lasting longer and doing less damage that those before, but it too eventually decline as is inevitable in nature. We live in interesting times.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Walter De Havilland was one of the last of the colonial coppers. He served 35 years in the Royal Hong Kong Police and Hong Kong Police Force. He's long retired. 

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

Home

Introduction

Contact Walter

Copyright © 2015