The Devil's Century

Leo XIII

It’s time for some good news. Things may look dark, but it is true that often the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

Christian civilization, sometimes called “Western civilization,” seemed to lose its mojo at about the time of the First World War. So for about a hundred years. As it happens, this fits a prediction by a pope—Pope Leo XIII. He had a vision at the altar that Satan was to be given control for a hundred years—the 20th century. Now, perhaps symbolically, we have Pope Leo XIV. We have seen the worst of the dispiritedness of Christendom in the past few years, with declining church attendance, rising suicide, mental illness, and addiction, mass immigration from non-Christian lands, the toppling of statues, anti-“white” discrimination in historically “white” countries, and postmodern denial of reality itself. But there are signs that is turning around. It has not hit the general public yet, but prominent figures are publicly converting to Christianity almost daily. The sense is that the “New Atheists” have lost the argument, and theism is ascendant in the academy. Scientism is losing credibility with scandals like the Covid countermeasures and vaccine, the draconian measures demanded in the name of climate change, and the inability to reproduce results in published papers. 

Meantime, the computer revolution and now the AI revolution are strong evidence that civilization is not moribund, but more likely on the threshold of a new renaissance, with which should come renewed optimism and pride. 

The aggression of Islam has also caused “Westerners” to realize that they are, in the end, fundamentally culturally Christian.

Civilizations can have bad centuries. It is time for Christendom to come thundering back. Reinforced, I might add, by the renewed cultural vitality of East Asia: Japan, Korea, Thailand, China, Vietnam. Cultural exchange is the essential vitamin of culture.

Despite draconian measures by governments, there is an obvious worldwide trend towards so-called “populist” movements. MAGA in the USA; Reform now leading the polls in the UK; France’s RN and Marine LePen; Meloni in Italy; Milei in Argentina; AfD in Germany; Wilders in the Netherlands. There is an obvious tide towards greater equality, greater democratization, greater freedom; a throwing off of elites. It seems the next stage of liberalization, as happened in the Age of Enlightenment. With better communications and access to information, with everyone owning a printing press and a broadcast license, there is greater ability for the general public to communicate and coordinate, and less scope for government repression. It will be increasingly difficult for oppressive governments to keep the lid on. We have seen this in the Arab spring, in the Canadian trucker convoy, in the Gen X protests in Nepal or Mexico. Governments are scared, and this is why they are trying draconian measures. But I think the technology is against them.

There is suddenly a lot of chatter about antivirals like ivermectin and fenbendazole as possible cancer cures. They are also cheap—out of patent. They are non-intrusive, with apparently few side effects. They may work on other viruses as well—the flu, the common cold. Imagine a world without these diseases. 

Once upon a time, we did not know any effective treatment for bacterial infections; and many died of tuberculosis, or gangrene. Then we discovered antibiotics. It was surely only a matter of time before we discovered the equivalent for viruses. Perhaps we have. 

Many are worried about job losses due to AI; that is surely one common cause for alarm. The job cuts seem to be already beginning. It is hard to conceive of a white-collar job that cannot be done soon and cheaper by AI. But this is looking only at the downside. This also means that the very expensive products of white-collar work will soon be cheaper. Going to law, drafting contracts, accounting, medical care, and the like, could soon be almost free. For consumers, this should mean a time of great abundance—and we ae all consumers.

Elon Musk has an unbeatable track record for seeing what is coming. And he sees a world in which there is “universal high income” without work. Everyone will be “far wealthier than the wealthiest person today.” He sees this within ten or twenty years. We will work if we feel like it.

That does not sound so bad.

We will need more power for all this; and many have long been alarmed about global warming. But improved nuclear power generation, including fusion, seems to be coming onstream now; not to mention much improved batteries, better solar power collectors, and geothermal options. Energy, a major bottleneck, may soon become cheap, non-polluting, and abundant.

This might all be wrecked by war. But the lesson of the current war in Ukraine may be that war is no longer worth the cost. And if it is fought, it will probably in future be fought by drones and automated vehicles attacking infrastructure. This, at worst, seems to mean fewer deaths.

Are we on the dawn of a golden age?