A historian believes he has discovered iron laws that predict the rise and fall of societies. He has bad news.
By Graeme Wood
[5,400 words, about 35 minutes]
If paywalled: https://archive.is/j6TZQ
AUDIO VERSION
An audio player can be found near the top of the article.
EXTRA CREDIT
On the scholars who study civilizational collapse: https://www.nytimes.com/.../magazine/societal-collapse.html
Image: Nicolas Ortega
ABOUT
The Longreads Club is a twice-monthly program hosted by WorldOregon's Young Professionals group where we discuss a long-form article focused on global topics. It's like a book club, but the reading material is shorter. Rather than skim the headlines, we are trying to dive deep and learn from each other to gain a better understanding of world events. No membership or registration required - although it's nice to know who's coming so RSVPs are encouraged. Read the article, show up, and join the discussion!
WHO THIS GROUP IS FOR
Although this event is organized by the Young Professionals Steering Committee at WorldOregon, it is open to everyone. You don't need to identify as "young" nor "professional" to attend. In fact, it is better for the discussion to have a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
We’re going
3