Decadence and Degeneration – moral concepts making a comeback

Decadence and degeneration are two 19th century moral concepts which have fallen out of fashion. But certain far right regimes in the 21st century are bringing them back.

Degeneration is an attempt to apply a model taken from natural sciences – that of decaying forms – and using it to explain social change. Decadence is the departure from conventional moral norms in favour of an aestheticsized alteranative. Its most famous concept is that of “art for arts sake”. Between them, these two concepts represent a set of broad social, cultural, and intellectual trends prevalent in the late 19th century.

Dr. Golob is the Subject Editor for 19th Century Philosophy for the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy and a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King’s College London. He is also the Associate Editor of the British Journal for the History of Philosophy.

Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://www.rep.routledge.com
British Journal for the History of Philosophy: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rbjh20
19th century philosophy: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...
Aesthetics: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...
Immanuel Kant: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...
Michel Foucault: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...
Friedrich Nietzsche: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...
Charles Darwin: https://www.rep.routledge.com/article...