Some thoughts

 This afternoon I finished reading The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success  by Ross Douthat. Though a thin volume it contained a lot to recommend it. There was a lot that overlapped with my own thoughts and could fit easily into the book I am (occasionally) working on, particularly the sections on demographics, movies, and spaceflight.  I did find it lacking in deeper explanations for why we are a decadent society, the book focuses more on symptoms than causes (I found it striking that for a book on the decline of civilization there was no mention of Spengler). However, I did appreciate the section on possible solutions, even if I found the tone too pessimistic (especially again the negativity to space colonization.  Overall though a good book and one I'd recomend. 

 So as I mentioned yesterday I'm working on book ideas- three to be precise. The first is provisionally titled 5 Years: Misadventures in Teaching and Travel. It will be an account of my past years working and travelling in asi> Ir will be a part travelogue, part autobiography, with cultural insights, tips and humourous annrcdotes. It will also talk about my views on working in teaching both in the UK and abroad, and what (if anything) I've gained from this time. The second is to be my thoughts on the decline of the West, and how to fix it. Am still thinking of a title but some variation on Death or Rebirth of the West is what I have so far. This will have three parts; each of which will be made up of a 4 10,000 word chapters. Provisional titles are : Part 1: Causes  Confidence Belief/Faith Welfarism Undermining Part 2: Symptoms/Effects Belief/ Politics/society Culture Demographics Part 3: Solutions Purpose Meaning  Education Citizenship/renewal/reclaim I'm planning to ...