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Good time for civilization to die -- with dignity?


Time for a Remedial Global Nuclear War? (Part #9)

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Much is made of the consequences and experience of individual aging. Increasing concern is expressed with respect to aging societies. Related concerns are expressed with respect to aging leadership in those societies. Far less is said regarding aging civilizations and the consideration which this might merit.

Individual perspective: Missing from such perspectives is a consideration occasionally raised with respect to individuals, namely when it is a "good time to die". How then to approach the question of when it would be a good time for the current global civilization to die? How might this be done with the dignity that is an individual aspiration?

It is the reflections on the manner of the timely death of the individual which would appear to be the primary source of insight of relevance to that of civilizations. Examples of such reflections include:

Other clues are offered in the light of increasing concern with assisted dying from a medical perspective (peer-reviewed articles), and when this might be appropriate:

Extensive reference is however made to the slogan Hoka Hey of Crazy Horse, a renowned Lakota Sioux warrior. This is translated as "a good day to die".There would appear to be a case for an equivalent to various explorations of "dialogue with death" -- an exploration by global civilization of the prospect of its own imminent death Arthur Koestler, Dialogue with Death, 1937; Ian Kinnes, Dialogues with Death, The Archaeology of Death, 1981; Gordon Tappan, Dialogues with Death. Humanistic Psychology Institute, 1974).

The argument by Anton van Niekerk emphasizes that the "medical profession has a duty to assist"  (We have a right to die with dignity, The Conversation, 26 October 2016). This frames the provocative question as to what "professions" should be called upon to assist in the death of civilization. Recommendations by the UN for individuals suggest their reinterpretation for an aging civilization (The Right to End-of-Life Palliative Care and a Dignified Death, UN-ECLAC for the Expert Group Meeting on Care and Older Persons, December 2017).

Corporate perspective: Some clues are offered from the occasional consideration of the demise of corporations -- given their relatively limited lives and the frequency of bankruptcies. However it is the major corporations which have existed over decades (or even centuries) which are a focus of particular attention.

The sense of a "time to die" can of course be explored from the perspectives of corporation considering bankruptcy -- or faced with it (World facing bankruptcy time bomb, Phys.org, July 2020; Hillel L. Presser, Five timing factors to consider when filing bankruptcy, 11 June 2018; Douglas Farquhar, 7 Reasons Why the Timing of Your Bankruptcy Filing Is Crucial, 22 October 2010).

Financial considerations may merely be symptomatic of others of which bankruptcy is a metaphor, as can be the case of not-for-profit organizations, institutions, and initiatives. Academic disciplines may well come to be considered "bankrupt". In all such cases the question can arise as to how and when the initiative should "die" or be considered "dead". How the dying may then be achieved with dignity is another matter.

Some initiatives may specifically anticipate their probable demise through a "sunset clause" -- suggesting such a possibility for the current civilization.

Cultural perspective: Potentially considered especially tragic is the "death" of cultures and ethnic groups, exemplified by that of languages. Attention is periodically accorded to endangered languages, and to the "last speakers" of a language embodying a culture (10 Fascinating Cultures That May Soon Disappear, Listverse, 10 October 2014). In the case of religions central to the identity of such cultures, the many divinities of the past are also suggestive (List of Gods and Goddesses From Antiquity, Learn Religions).

This perspective frames the question as to how the disappearance of cultures may be enabled, given the historical role of colonial powers in endeavouring to do so. The controversial ethical considerations recall those currently highlighted with respect to "assisted dying" and "voluntary euthanasia" of individuals.

Civilizational perspective: The rise and fall of civilizations is a particular concern of historians (Arnold J. Toynbee, A Study of History, 1934-1961; Johan Galtung and Sohail Inayatullah, Macrohistory and Macrohistorians: Perspectives on Individual, Social, and Civilizational Change, 1997). It may be termed societal collapse, thereby including the extinction of cultures.

A framework offering insight is that of disease, understood collectively and psychosocially -- rather than individually and physically. By borrowing from the Greek historian Thucydides the metaphor of a singularly subtle disease, the argument is developed by John K. Williams (The Disease from which Civilizations Die, Foundation for Economic Education, 1 September 1985). The framework can be explored otherwise (Cognitive Implications of Lifestyle Diseases of Rich and Poor, 2010; Memetic and Information Diseases in a Knowledge Society, 2008).

Given the multiple crises with which global society is so evidently confronted, there is currently a degree of concern expressed with regard to the probable collapse of a declining civilization (Jared Diamond, Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed, 2005; John Michael Greer, The Long Descent: a user's guide to the end of the Industrial Age, 2022). A contrast has been made between decline and collapse -- going out "with a bang rather than with a whimper" -- as noted by Craig Collins:

As modern civilization's shelf life expires, more scholars have turned their attention to the decline and fall of civilizations past. Their studies have generated rival explanations of why societies collapse and civilizations die. Meanwhile, a lucrative market has emerged for post-apocalyptic novels, movies, TV shows, and video games for those who enjoy the vicarious thrill of dark, futuristic disaster and mayhem from the comfort of their cozy couch. (Four Reasons Civilization Won't Decline: It Will Collapse, Resilience, 10 August 2020)

With bankruptcy justifying the demise of corporations, is global civilization to be variously considered "bankrupt", whether economically or culturally. The level of public debt is an indicator of the former, but the ineffectual nature of thinking informing global governance is especially indicative of the latter. Is global civilization now intellectually bankrupt -- if not spiritually so?

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