• The Great Decline
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The Great Decline

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It seems clear that many formerly stable societies in wealthy developed countries appear to be falling into an apparent state of ‘permacrisis' accompanied by an increasingly angry and irrational so...
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  • 25 June 2024
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It seems clear that many formerly stable societies in wealthy developed countries appear to be falling into an apparent state of ‘permacrisis' accompanied by an increasingly angry and irrational social and political culture that is undermining the peace and stability of our societies and democratic institutions, from the local to the global.

Applying an original biosocial approach (the social map), and drawing on ideas and evidence from sociology, history and political economy, to psychology, neuroscience and epigenetics, John Bone argues that conditions in our turbocapitalist and increasingly estranged, media dominated societies have created a toxic environment, deeply damaging to our mental and physical health. As well as shedding new light on our current troubles, Bone also outlines why this leaves us ill prepared to deal with two of the greatest challenges confronting humanity: the rise of AI and automation and how we deal with climate change.

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Price: $29.95
Pages: 304
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Imprint: Bristol University Press
Publication Date: 25 June 2024
ISBN: 9781529213034
Format: Paperback
BISACs: SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, Social theory, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Economy, SOCIAL SCIENCE / General, Political economy, Ethical issues: scientific, technological and medical developments
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"Unearths the biological and social roots of the deep malaise in which individuals in Western societies are currently immersed (…) based on a well-supported argument that draws on all fields of knowledge, starting with biology, neuroscience and epigenetics." Politique étrangère

John Bone is Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen and past Chair of the British Sociological Association. His research interests are in political economy, social and biosocial theory, inequalities, just transitions and health and well-being research. In 2007 he was jointly awarded the Philip Abrams Memorial early career Prize for his first book The Hard Sell.

Introduction: The New Age of Angst

PART I: Being Human in an Evolving World

1. Who Are We and Why Does It Matter?

2. The Long Road to Modernity

3. From Golden Age to Golden Age?

PART II: Derailing the Modern Project

4. The Neoliberal ‘Dawn’: Mont Pelerin, Fear of Socialism and the Backlash of Privilege

5. Financial Alchemy and Economic Crises

6. Globalization, the ‘New’ Labour Market, AI and the 4th Industrial Revolution

7. Marketized Housing: An Insecure Base

8. Consumerism, Community and Media

PART III: Permacrises

9. The Climate Emergency and Neoliberal Nihilism

10. Inequality, Insecurity and Minding the Gap

11. Populism and the Politics of Primalization

12. Public Issues as Personal Troubles: Individualizing Risk and the Health Costs of Turbocapitalism

Conclusion: Where to Now?