Comments on: Western liberalism leads to decadence and authoritarianism is the cure https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/ From the ancient Greek for equality in freedom of speech; an eclectic mix of thoughts, large and small Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Jim https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588303 Jim Tue, 07 Feb 2023 18:07:07 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588303 Adept: “The two things are not mutually exclusive.”

Granted.

Adept: “The US is simultaneously authoritarian and decadent.”

I think that there is a very compelling case to be made as to how exactly the United States is minimally decadent as well as maximally authoritarian, but not yet.

Adept: “These days, Noah Smith is what passes for a public intellectual.”

Who?

]]> By: Michael van der Riet https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588238 Michael van der Riet Tue, 07 Feb 2023 10:30:04 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588238 “America is the only nation that has ever gone from barbarism to decadence without an intervening period of civilization.” ~ Oscar Wilde

]]> By: Mao Pot https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588233 Mao Pot Tue, 07 Feb 2023 09:16:03 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588233 Least decadent? Watch the Grammys. Most authoritarian? Try chaotic.

]]> By: Adept https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588152 Adept Mon, 06 Feb 2023 13:10:00 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588152 “The United States is the least decadent, most authoritarian society on Earth.”

The two things are not mutually exclusive. The US is simultaneously authoritarian and decadent — particularly and self-evidently decadent in matters of culture and public discourse. Consider the following: These days, Noah Smith is what passes for a public intellectual.

]]> By: Jim https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588126 Jim Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:17:59 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588126 LOL. Then the Chinese understand nothing. The United States is the least decadent, most authoritarian society on Earth.

]]> By: W2 https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588119 W2 Mon, 06 Feb 2023 04:34:01 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588119 Wang is right, mostly. The American empire is not ruled by Americans, hasn’t been for a century or more. American culture isn’t the official culture of the empire, and is under attack by the empire.

]]> By: Faze https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588095 Faze Sun, 05 Feb 2023 23:33:18 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588095 ”the lack of a unifying culture puts a hard limit on the US’s progress. The country is constantly producing wondrous new technologies, but these technologies have no guiding purpose other than their own proliferation. The result is that all technological advancement leads the US along one unfortunate trajectory: toward more and more commodification.”

This paragraph is incoherent. It begs the question of what constitutes “progress”, it pretends to assume that technologies can give themselves a “guiding purpose”, and it seems to think that commodification is is a fate worse than communism.

America’s proliferation of cultures is the best thing about it and a source of constant renewal. If there is a spiritual vacuum in our lives, it’s up to us as individuals to fill it – and fortunately, we have the freedom here to do that.

We all hate wokeism and the current political binaries, but America’s ongoing cultural churn will eventually deliver us.

]]> By: Felix https://www.isegoria.net/2023/02/western-liberalism-leads-to-decadence-and-that-authoritarianism-is-the-cure/comment-page-1/#comment-3588089 Felix Sun, 05 Feb 2023 22:01:09 +0000 https://www.isegoria.net/?p=49663#comment-3588089 Many, if not most, would agree with this view of the US.

Or, as another way of putting it, the people of the US do not feel a suitably strong need for enlightened statesman such as Wang. How dare they?!?

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