Décadence

By Michel Onfray

Book Description

In this sweeping philosophical examination, Michel Onfray traces the arc of Western civilization from its ancient foundations to its contemporary challenges. Drawing parallels between the fallen empires of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, he argues that our two-thousand-year-old Judeo-Christian civilization follows the same inevitable pattern of mortality that has claimed all great civilizations before it.

Onfray presents an epic narrative that spans from the conceptual emergence of Jesus in the Old Testament through centuries of Christian artistic expression, ultimately reaching our current era where figures like Bin Laden have declared war on what he sees as an exhausted Western world. This ambitious work weaves together diverse historical threads, examining desert monks, bloodthirsty Christian emperors, Muslims building their vision of paradise through conquest, grand inquisitors, and witch trials.

The author's canvas extends to include indigenous encounters with European explorers, the resurrection of ancient philosophical ideas, atheist priests proclaiming God's death, revolutionary upheavals that toppled monarchies, and the rise of both left and right-wing dictatorships. He explores concentration camps, contemporary art controversies, religious persecution of writers, and recent acts of violence committed in religion's name.

Rather than offering simple optimism or pessimism, Onfray adopts what he calls a tragic perspective. His goal transcends emotional response, seeking instead to provide understanding of our civilization's current moment through this comprehensive historical lens.