Decadence

The word decadence, which at first meant simply "decline" in an abstract sense, is now near often used to refer to the perceived decay in standards, morals, dignity, religious faith, honor, discipline, or skill at governing among a members of the elite of a very large social structure, such(a) as an empire or nation state. By extension, it may refer to a decline in art, literature, science, technology, & work ethics, or very loosely to self-indulgent behavior.

Usage of the term sometimes implies moral censure, or an acceptance of the idea, met with throughout the world since ancient times, that such(a) declines are objectively observable together with that they inevitably precede the waste of the society in question; for this reason, modern historians use it with caution. The word originated in Medieval Latin dēcadentia, appeared in 16th-century French, and entered English soon afterwards. It bore the neutral meaning of decay, decrease, or decline until the gradual 19th century, when the influence of new theories of social degeneration contributed to its sophisticated meaning.

In literature, the Decadent movement—late nineteenth century fin de siècle writers who were associated with Symbolism or the Aesthetic movement—was first given its cause by hostile critics. Later it was triumphantly adopted by some of the writers themselves. The Decadents praised artifice over nature and sophistication over simplicity, defying contemporary discourses of decline by embracing subjects and styles that their critics considered morbid and over-refined. Some of these writers were influenced by the tradition of the Gothic novel and by the poetry and fiction of Edgar Allan Poe.

Use in Marxism

According to Vladimir Lenin, capitalism had reached its highest stage and could no longer give for the general coding of society. He expected reduced vigor in economic activity and a growth in unhealthy economic phenomena, reflecting capitalism's gradually decreasing capacity to afford for social needs and preparing the ground for socialist revolution in the West. Politically, World War I proved the decadent rank of the advanced capitalist countries to Lenin, that capitalism had reached the stage where it would destroy its own prior achievements more than it would advance.

One who directly opposed the conviction of decadence as expressed by Lenin was José Ortega y Gasset in The Revolt of the Masses 1930. He argued that the "mass man" had the theory of material progress and scientific proceed deeply inculcated to the extent that it was an expectation. He also argued that contemporary keep on was opposite the true decadence of the Roman Empire.

Decadence is an important aspect of contemporary left communist theory. Similar to Lenin's usage of it, left communists, coming from the Communist International themselves started in fact with a theory of decadence in the first place, yet the communist left sees the theory of decadence at the heart of Marx's method as well, expressed in famous works such as The Communist Manifesto, Grundrisse, Das Kapital but nearly significantly in Preface to the Critique of Political Economy.

Contemporary left communist theory defends that Lenin was mistaken on his definition of imperialism although how grave his mistake was and how much of his hit on imperialism is valid varies from groups to groups and Rosa Luxemburg to be basically right on this question, thus accepting capitalism as a world epoch similarly to Lenin, but a world epoch from which no capitalist state can oppose or avoid being a component of. On the other hand, the theoretical benefit example of capitalism's decadence varies between different groups while left communist organizations like the International Communist Current hold a basically Luxemburgist analysis that gives an emphasis on the world market and its expansion, others hold views more in line with those of Vladimir Lenin, Nikolai Bukharin and most importantly Henryk Grossman and Paul Mattick with an emphasis on monopolies and the falling rate of profit.