Listmembers all, Reflecting on Ernst Juenger's debt to the great macrohistorian Oswald Spengler I thought it might be of interest with the followong book announcement. With Juengerian greetings Bertil John Farrenkopf, _Prophet of Decline - Spengler on World History and Politics_ (to be published=20 Louisiana State University Press summer 2001) A timely analysis of one of the twentieth century's most intriguing historical philosphers. Oswald Spengler (1880 - 1936) is best known for _ The Decline of the West_, in which he propounded his path- breaking philosophy of world history and penetrating diagnosis of the crisis of modernity. This monumental work launched a seminal attack on the idea of progress and supplanted the outmoded Eurocentric understanding of history. His provocative pessimism seems to be=20 confirmed in retrospect by the twentieth-century horrors of economic depression, totalitarianism, genocide, the dawn of the nuclear age, and the merging global environmental crisis. In _Prophet of Decline_, John Farrenkopf takes advantage of the historical perspective the end of the millenium provides to reassess this visionary thinker and his challenging ideas on world history and politics and modern civilization. Farren- kopf's assessment ranges widely, placing Spengler's=20 philosophy in its intellectual historical context and covering Spengler's ideas on democracy, capitalism, science and=20 technology, cities, Western art, social change, and human exploitation of the environment. He also illuminates the implications of Spengler's thought for contemplating from a fresh perspective the future of the United States, the leading power of the West. _Prophet of Decline_ is highly relevant today as many take the opportunity at the turn of the century to ponder again the direction in which humankind and our global community=20 are moving and approach with concern the uncertain future amid globalization, hypercomplexity, and accelerating change. An interdisciplinary book about an interdisciplinary thinker, it is a substantial contribution to the literature of=20 historical philosophy, political science, international relations, and German studies. An independent scholar, John Farrenkopf lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. The author of numerous articles, he has spent several years conducting research in Germany and has taught at the University of Virginia and Northwestern University. Series: Political Tradition in Foreign Policy Kennerh W. Thompson, Editor Louisiana State University Press June 2001, 344 pages, 6 x 9 ISBN 0-8071-2653-5 (cloth), $ 65.00 ISBN 0-8071-2727-2 (paper), $ 24.95
Markup © John King, 2008. Web archive generated Tue, 21st August 2007.