Is Western Society in Decline?

Source: Edvard Munch / public domain*

This post is part 1 of a series.

It has become increasingly clear that we are living in a very fragile, extremely polarized, and highly unstable world. In this regard, it looks like Western civilization particularly is suffering from a kind of instability known as anomie, a complex concept derived from the Greek word Άνομος, meaning “lawless.”

In practical terms, anomie is a societal condition that stems from a sense of lawlessness, a lack of moral standards and values, and a lack of meaning. Anomie results in the fragmentation of social identity, the rejection of self-regulatory values, and the breakdown of social order.

A Breakdown of Social Order

Mounting evidence pointing to the breakdown of social order across Europe and North America can be gleaned from various media reports.¹ Increases in criminal behavior, including both random and nonrandom acts of violence against others (e.g., physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, socio-economic), looting, robbery, break-ins, carjackings, defacing and destroying public and private property, etc., have reached near epidemic levels in the United States. To be sure, such acts of lawlessness are alarming and, if not curbed, don’t bode well for the future of a nation that, paradoxically, was founded on the rule of law.

Even if Western society has not completely “fallen,”² it does appear to be undergoing what can be described as a downward slide toward anomie. Put differently, it is falling into a state of normlessness and lawlessness that begs serious attention before it potentially reaches a point of no return. The ongoing and escalating protests in countries across Europe, in Canada, and in the United States, for instance, are challenging both public policies and social/cultural norms that undoubtedly will have both intended and unintended consequences for the state of humanity, society at large, and the planet, regardless of one’s political persuasion or civic engagement level.

The breakdown of social order appears to be fueled by, or at least is associated with, a number of perceived and real drivers: illegal and uncontrolled immigration; pluralist pushback against what is considered to be globalist tyranny and the “psychology of totalitarianism”;³escalating conflicts associated with so-called “identity politics” based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc..; stark increases in income inequality; and growing feelings of disconnection from others and the wider world that are often accompanied by personal struggles with loneliness and related psychological issues.⁴

Taken together, these forces not only sow distrust in societal institutions but also result in increased anxiety and loss of social cohesion from being in a place where lawlessness and normlessness are allowed to reign. Indeed, living in such an unstable place and turbulent time has significant implications for mental health and well-being, both individually and collectively.

Furthermore, the human quest for meaning, which the world-renowned psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl famously espoused as being the primary, intrinsic motivation of human beings, is thwarted under such chaotic, anomic conditions, making it difficult for many people to have a reason or cause for hope in a better future—for themselves and others. This, in turn, sets the stage for anomie not only to gain ground but also to deepen its negative, corrosive influence on the social order and quality of life.

Preventing the Slide Toward Anomie

How can the slide toward anomie and its dire consequences be prevented or at least mitigated? On a societal level, the most serious manifestations of lawlessness and civil disorder demand responsible action from institutions officially charged with establishing and enforcing order, stability, and safety in the public domain, and for enacting and implementing public policies to safeguard the public interest.

This said, preventing anomie is not only a collective responsibility but also an individual one. In this regard, Frankl also warned that freedom threatens to degenerate into mere license and arbitrariness unless it is lived responsibly. To Frankl, freedom without responsibility was an oxymoron. That is why he suggested that the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor on the East Coast be supplemented by a “Statue of Responsibility” somewhere along the West Coast.⁵

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Importantly, the human quest for meaning also depends upon responsible action and, as implied earlier, is one of the antidotes to the downward slide toward anomie. When we are “prisoners of our thoughts,” however, we tend to lose sight of what Frankl called the will to meaning and are inclined instead to enter an existential space in which the search for meaning is effectively replaced by other motivations, such as the quest for power and/or pleasure.⁶ As a result, we become vulnerable and more susceptible to the conditions that characterize anomie.

Escaping this inner mental prison can be a formidable challenge, especially considering the growing ideological gap in Western society today. The “true believers” that philosopher Eric Hoffer defined decades ago threaten to undermine civic and political life. Hoffer argued that fanatical and extremist cultural movements, whether religious, social, or national, arise when large numbers of frustrated people, believing their own individual lives to be worthless or spoiled, join a movement demanding radical change. But the real attraction for this population is “an escape from the self, not a realization of individual hopes.” Moreover, according to Hoffer, “the true believer, no matter how rowdy and violent his acts, is basically an obedient and submissive person.”⁷

So what should and can be done to counter this slide down the slippery slope of anomie? In my next post, I will outline practical steps that we can take, both collectively and individually, to counteract this movement toward the breakdown of social order. To begin with, we need politicians and other public officials to stop acting as if they are above the law and out of touch with their constituencies. And, on an individual level, we need to shift the emphasis from what divides us to what connects us as human beings. These are obviously well-entrenched habits that first need to be recognized and then addressed. Only in this way can we avoid becoming (or remaining) "prisoners of our thoughts" to our own peril.