The Prophets of Doom by Neema Parvini
A book analysis
Prophets of Doom (PoD) is the second in a trilogy, its predecessor being The Populist Delusion (TPD). The finale is yet to be published.
Do I recommend Prophets of Doom by Neema Parvini?
Yea, Everlasting.
Do I need to read TPD first?
PoD stands up by itself.
It also stands on the shoulders of TPD, and thus, it contains a few direct references (outside of the introduction, which clarifies the relationship between both books).
In PoD, Parvini explores the Cyclical Theory of History. He does so by summarising, comparing and contrasting the theories of 11 thinkers – Giambattista Vico, Thomas Carlyle, Arthur de Gobineau, Brooks Adams, Oswald Spengler, Pitirim Sorokin, Arnold Toynbee, Julius Evola, John Bagot Glubb, and the two living Joseph Tainter and Peter Turchin.
This book is a summation of other thinkers. A second order summation will do these authors a great injustice.
In this endeavour, Parvini strives to give a “value-free analysis” of the works of these authors. This is the claim we will explore. After listening to his various podcasts for the last few years, I know that he describes himself as a “child of Winter”, and is open about the tyrannical power of his “Inner Daria” – a source of crippling inner cynicism.
Here is a quote from pages 186-7:
This may be confusing since, ostensibly, the same religion can serve as a particularist religion in the early phase [of a civilisation] and then as a universal one in the later phase… This is the difference between Yahweh in the Old Testament, unmistakably a particularist god only for the Jews, and God in the New Testament who is, after the coming of Jesus, ‘for everyone’. But as we have seen, in the medieval era, Christianity was ‘Germanised’ and somehow once again became particularist (the God of the Crusades), and then somehow oscillated back to being a universal religion of peace and love once more to coincide with European nations running large multi-ethnic empires”.
What caused the Crusades? There are two options
1. The German martial elite used Christianity.
2. God used the German martial elite for His ends.
Option 1 treats Christianity like a political party manifesto, a set of mere ideas.
Option 2 asserts the Truth of the Living God.
These two options are mutually exclusive, and you must choose one.
The rational rider has no power, only influence, against the emotional elephant. Only an armed value can guard the door against intruder values.
As for the extensive quote, I assume that Parvini subscribes to Option 1, and is not yet able to take Option 2 seriously.
In fact, I go even further. I assert that treating the two options as completely distinct is an act of playing god. By making this separation, you claim that you can separate God from His Creation. This would make you more powerful than Him, and therefore that you are “God.
If Parvini chooses either Option, he will be putting his Inner Daria to the sword, and unleashing thereby his Inner Darius.
I say either, because he who claims to steal God’ Throne is closer to Truth than he who claims that there is no such thing.
You can only climb down safely if you can see the thing from which you climb down.
Here ends the review.
P.S. Do I wish to be the one who converts Academic Agent to the faith?
It is impossible for one person to convert another. It is God who converts, and He uses humans as His instruments. Please pray that I always remember this.