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THE COMING DARK AGE
Newsletter
June, 2004
1. INTRODUCTION
This month's (tardy) newsletter is a brief one. It contains a commentary by one of the dark age team on the work
of Ronald Inglehart, putting recent thinking on Inglehart's work in a broader dark age perspective.
Past editions of the newsletter are at the following address: http://www.darkage.fsnet.co.uk/Newsletter.htm
I welcome all comments, suggestions and contributions, especially the latter. Please forward this newsletter to
anyone you think might be interested.
Marc Widdowson
2. RONALD INGLEHART
Ronald Inglehart is known for his theory of postmaterial re-alignment ("The silent revolution"), which
seems to be confined to the western post-industrial societies. Dark age theory incorporates the basic themes picked
up by Inglehart (who perhaps expresses them better), but also gives a wider background with which to approach his
statements. Inglehart says that generations which have not been affected by deprivation and war opt - in accordance
with the pyramid of Maslow - for what he terms postmaterialistic values. While materialistic values are typically
security, creation of wealth, order etc. postmaterialistic values strongly drift to the left if we take the traditional
left-right cleavage. They are about individual self-fulfilment, the preservation of the environment, greater participation
etc.
It is here, where Dark Age theory comes in. It has recently been argued that in the face of new insecurities (globalisation
creating competition on the labour market, terrorism), there has been a reaction against and a weakening of those
postmaterialistic attitudes. At first glance, this may be true. However, while I am ready to admit that on the
surface radical feminist and green movements figure less prominently, many of their statements have become mainstream.
The never ending quest for gender equality, the stagnation in the field of nuclear power, the strong notion that
technology poses a threat to democracy seem to add some justification to this claim. The point is that, although
times may be getting tougher again, this slow, gradual shift is unlikely to root out the attitudes which have taken
hold as a consequence of postmaterialistic ideologies. On a deeper level and in the long term, these attitudes
are conducive to disintegration, disorganisation and discohesion. A !
crisis may change the trend or delay the break down but it will not be able to postpone it forever. This is because
order, wealth and cohesion ultimately make anti-state, "parasitic" and anti-social behaviour pay. In
a similar way, the individual, although it knows that ultimately it is going to die, has to continue its struggle
based on the illusion that things will go on forever.
Here is a link on Ingelhart
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/069107786X/qid=1084021105/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7__i7_xgl14/103-4727272-2313460?v=glance&s=books
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