Monday, April 25, 2011

Survey of the 'American Decline' debate

Corruption, the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.1
--Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire ( 1776–88) ch. 21
There have been many articles in the last couple of years on the idea of 'the American Decline'.  Although a small number deal with it in the most general terms, most relate the issue as a true decline by way of certain segments of our society, such as education, our economy, art museum attendance and foreign affairs.

In a way, the jury is still out in this country on whether we are in decline.  Just like the issue of global warming, most professional journalists are in the affirmative, but you really need a consensus to make it a reality.

Here are several related articles from widely respected magazines and journals that may help you in your own deliberations on an 'American Decline.'


1"Gibbon, Edward" The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Ed. Susan Ratcliffe. Oxford University Press, 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. David Weller. 27 April 2011