| The Idea of Decline in Western History | 
 enlarge | Author: Arthur Herman
Publisher: Free Press
Category: Book
List Price: $30.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 473315
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.6
ISBN: 0684827913
Dewey Decimal Number: 909.09812
EAN: 9780684827919
ASIN: 0684827913
Publication Date: January 8, 1997
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| Customer Reviews:
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 Good scholarship, bad conclusions September 19, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Herman just close his eyes for many of the propphetic pessimistic insights that he criticizes.
The rich nations of the world are acting like ancient usurers, lending money to the desperate poor on terms that cannot possibly be met and, thus, steadily acquiring more and more control over the lives and assets of the poor.
But, are basic rights of human existence confined to those civilized societies wealthy enough to afford them? Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others.
Civilization is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor. - Arnold Toynbee
A propaganda book June 13, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I had hoped to find real insights from this book, but as soon as Herman started dropping McTerms such as "conspiracy theorist" and "anti-Semitism" it was impossible for me to take any of his points seriously.
 Extraordinary achievement April 6, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I first encountered the idea of decline, in the 1970's as a graduate student in physics, through the work of my professor, the historian of science Stephen G. Brush. Professor Brush associated the idea of decline with the discovery of the Second Law of Thermodynamics. In spite of my admiration for Brush (whose book, THE TEMPERATURE OF HISTORY, Herman does not mention), I think that Herman has done a better job in describing the history of the Idea of decline, which indeed arose long before the Second Law was discovered. Rather, I now believe -- in large part because of the evidence Herman has presented in this book -- that the Second Law was interpreted as a guarantee of ineviable decline BECAUSE the virus of the idea of decline was already infecting the Western mind. (The physicist Pierre Duhem pointed out in the late 19th century that the Second Law actually does not imply inevitable decline.) Herman has written what is probably the best defense of the Enlightenment ideals, namely progress through physicial science and rationality, that I have seen in many years. Herman describes at length the personal connections between the philosophers of decline, and I think this description is one of the book's greatest strengths. Herman emphasizes the remarkable fact that all the Decliners, Left and Right, were united by a deep hatred for both Newtonian mechanics and Christianity. On reflection, this common hatred is not surprising, since these are the foundation of modern human civilization which the Decliners also hate and aim to destroy, as documented by Herman at length in this book. An extraordinary achievement. I'm very pleased that there are still scholars like Herman. With men like Herman around, writing books like this, the Decliners may yet fail to destroy civilization.
 difficult read - but very insightful September 23, 2005
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Arthur Herman is a detail person and has undertaken massive research to produce this book. I learned a great deal about the history of pessimistic thinking by "intellectuals" looking for ways to have thier governments take care of them and "solve" societies ills. When applied to today's "intellectuals" I learned that there really is not much new thinking going on. Difficult read, but worth the effort.
 Don't buy this book June 25, 2005
1 out of 31 found this review helpful
I have never seen a book so full of factual errors as this one. There are better books out there on this subject - don't waste your money.
Incidentally, Herman is a well-known white supremacist. Potential customers should keep this in mind (even if they don't have a problem with it).
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