/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.23465700]

What should I know before reading the Decline of the West?

[Anonymous No.23465723]

That you're gay, your dad is gay too

[Anonymous No.23465724]

>>23465700
That he's jewish.

[Anonymous No.23465729]

>>23465700
The entire western canon up until that point or it will fly over your head

[Anonymous No.23465743]

The West was always the center of the world. All the apparent regions have, in fact, nurtured and displayed this claim. For Hindus, Aryavarta is in the middle of the sublunar lands; around this holy land lie the Dwipas, attached to the sacred center, like the lotus petals in the chalice of the divine plant. According to the Chinese, the universe shines around the Celestial Empire. The same fantasy amused the Greeks; their temple at Del-phes was the navel of the Good Goddess. The Egyptians were equally foolish. It is not in the sense of this old geographical vanity that a nation or a group of nations is allowed to attribute itself a central role on the globe. It is not even allowed to claim the constant direction of civilizing interests, and in this respect I would like to make a very radical critique of Mr Gioberti's famous work (1). It is, by placing oneself solely on the moral point of view, that there is accuracy in maintain that, apart from all patriotic concerns, the center of gravity of the social world has always oscillated in Western countries, without ever leaving them, having, depending on the times, two extreme limits, Babylon and London from east to west, Stockholm and Thebes from north to south; beyond, isolation, restricted personality, inability to excite general sympathy, and ultimately barbarism in all its forms.

[Anonymous No.23466096]

>>23465700
>What should I know before reading the Decline of the West?
That some authoritarian racist asshat made the trivial observation that we live in a society, big woop. Reactionaries want to infantilize society and return to the obligate safety of conforming to some kind of idealized authority. It's the Oedipus complex of radical politics. It's for children that don't have the backbone to even think about the questioning of societal conformity that leads to progressive social change. The intellectual backbone of reaction is merely eloquent babbling.

[Anonymous No.23466106]

Le West is through...le decline!

[Anonymous No.23466112]

>>23466096
> le progressive social change
Monarchy is the sole rational form of politics.

[Anonymous No.23466124]

>>23465700
While I don't wholly agree with
>>23465729
I would say
>having an understanding of classical and Shakespearean tragedy and their differences
>knowledgeable of classical art, culture, philosophy, and history
>broad knowledge of European culture, art, philosophy, and history, esp. its crescendoes
I learned a lot of new things from the book. At times he'll mention art movements, which you can look up delightful documentaries on the youtube channel Perspective. Additionally, he exercises knowledge of Egyptian, Arabian, and Chinese history. Of those three, he mentions Arabian most often and Egyptian least often.

[Anonymous No.23466138]

>>23465700
>>23466124
I never even read the actual book but just reading about his ideas sparked my interest in the aesthetics and worldviews of different cultures. It's incredible how much beauty humans have created, and I credit him more than anyone else with opening my eyes to it.

[Anonymous No.23466170]

>>23466138
One of his cool hypotheses is that the later Roman Empire and its later emperors like Diocletian and Constantine (now a fellaheen Culture) were being animated by Magian Soul and Culture (Arabia, Jews, Persians).

[Anonymous No.23466186]

>>23466170
Such dumb and infantile terms, almost woke. Just call things by their names. Etruscan, Semitic, Aryan, Germanic, black, white, yellow, mixed, homogenous, ethnic anarchy, etc.

[Anonymous No.23466201]

>>23466186
Because it doesn't accurately describe things; for example, there was a "Babylonian" Culture, which included the Sumerians as well. Another example is that the Romans were part of the Classical Culture but their descendants the Italians were part of the Western/Faustian Culture.

[Anonymous No.23466217]

>>23466186
He spends two chapters in volume two talking about peoples and races and explains why he doesn't use these terms. I'm sorry specificity goes over your tiny brain.

[Anonymous No.23466273]

>>23465700

[Anonymous No.23467502]

>>23465700
some infographics

[Anonymous No.23467506]

>>23465700
moar

[Anonymous No.23467512]

>>23465700
the whole thing

[Anonymous No.23467529]

'Inconstancy is my very essence' says the wheel. The West has simply had its time. Fear of a black planet much? Its coming, whitey.

[Anonymous No.23467584]

>>23467529
>rising tide of poo
earth is doomed

[Anonymous No.23467607]

That 'Decline of the West' is a misleading understatement of the topics and ideas it actually discusses. Where he *isn't* discussing things of a political/cultural nature is where I personally found it the most interesting.

[Anonymous No.23467694]

>>23465700
Why read about it when you can experience it outside?

[Anonymous No.23467744]

>>23467502
>>23467506
>almost no citations

[Anonymous No.23467850]

>>23465700
Jacques Barzun's From Dawn to Decadence says the same things but is less chud-core, which is useful if you have people over who might recognize Spengler as le alt-right doomer historian.

[Anonymous No.23468046]

>>23467506

messages such as this one is the primary reason why I will for ever cherish this den of debauchery known as 4chan.

[Anonymous No.23468052]

>>23467850

I have this book. A pristine hardcover edition I bought for a pathetic price (publisher of it went bankrupt). Should I read it? I am asking this because I did start to read it many a year ago, had forgotten about it, but stumbled upon the other day and realised it had a bookmarker still within in.

[Anonymous No.23468081]

>>23466096
At least it is eloquent.
One cannot say the same about whatever drivel has captured our part of the world.

[Anonymous No.23468105]

>>23465700
>jew: let me tell you why white man bad
No clue why you'd want to read this slop but go ahead

[Anonymous No.23468121]

>>23465700
Too many browns and jews on this board to get a meaningful discussion going.

[Anonymous No.23468138]

If you’ve read Will Durant’s Story of Civilization and have a basic grounding in the Western canon (particularly the Greeks and Goethe) you’ll be fine

[Anonymous No.23468139]

>>23466096
>Reactionaries want to infantilize society and return to the obligate safety of conforming to some kind of idealized authority
As opposed to the lefty desire for a forced codependent nanny state?

[Anonymous No.23468141]

>>23466273
Care to expand?

[Anonymous No.23468143]

>>23467529
Blacks aren’t historical agents. The only influential blacks have had European or Semitic blood. You’ll be ruled over by the Chinese if the West falls.

[Anonymous No.23468166]

>>23466096
Lol
Lmao
You freaks can't even figure out that gender is an expression of sex and convolute everything. Fucking golems to jewish interests. Reactionary politics centers around restoring civilization to a basic model that allows for families to flourish. You clearly, like almost every single leftist that I've met, had a terrible home life. At least we're trying to figure out how to ensure there are fewer fuckups like you.

[Anonymous No.23468222]

>>23468105
You clearly haven't read a single page if your view is that Decline of the West portrays white men as bad.

[Anonymous No.23468473]

>>23467744
>>23468046
its an infographic you whiney faggots
internet search for the title and get all those references subnotes citations and then just kys thx

[Anonymous No.23469790]

>>23468222
not falling for it jew

[Anonymous No.23469824]

>>23465700
I think most of the value of this book has to offer you can get without having any prior knowledge. The core ideas are easy enough to grasp without any knowledge of art, art history, architecture, history of philosophy.
His ideas are stated in simple terms and 80% of the book is him droning on about contrapuntal music and Doric columns, showing off his knowledge on above mentioned topics in a way that tries to prove his point, but you don't need to know what he knows to get what his theory is.
He has good ideas and it's definitely worth checking out but you can skip like 90% of the book and still get the gist of it.

[Anonymous No.23469865]

>>23465700
>Zu jeder Zeit, an jedem Ort, bleibt das Tun der Menschen das Gleiche.

[Anonymous No.23470215]

>>23466186
>nooo everything has to be le races
Finally, some Grown Up discussion!

[Anonymous No.23470980]

>>23467512
>tl:dr

[Anonymous No.23471000]

>>23465700
That the west has le fallen