© opcija.netStephen Karganovic
Once upon a time, Amiel's words referred to a palpable, vibrant, reality. In countries associated with the civilisation of the West, and as noted by Weber in particular where the Protestant ethic prevailed,
doing things right and efficiently used to be a fanatical cult, just as Amiel observed.
The beneficial results, especially by comparison to the performance of civilisations and cultures rooted in different principles,
were plainly visible and indisputable.Amiel lived in the nineteenth century. There is
a contemporary French philosopher, Emmanuel Todd, who has noted processes that are markedly different. He has the reputation of
a prescient analyst and uncanny forecaster. His recently published book,
The Defeat of the West, will unsettle many. Its tenor is in sharp contrast to Amiel's self-confident and optimistic view that the West has got the winning combination with its defining characteristic of "doing things right."
According to Emmanuel Todd,
the West no longer retains its perfectionist edge. Its fundamental task now is merely to avert the impending downfall, if it still can. As Todd cogently argues,
the West has not only passed its "active stage," which is reflected in Henri-Frédéric Amiel's cited remark,
but also the ensuing civilisation-on-auto-pilot "zombie stage". It now finds itself in the terminal "stage zero," the religious mainsprings whence its civilisation drew its vitality being completely sapped.
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