From Dawn To Decadence, part 4: Aufheben's Decline of Theory

Capitalism's crisis theories reveal more about leftist political failures than economic reality, as deterministic approaches miss the cultural dimensions of decay while simultaneously failing to deliver the promised revolutionary outcomes.

• Examining Aufheben's' "Decadence, the Theory of Decline or Decline of Theory" as a framework for understanding how leftists conceptualize capitalism's decay
• Crisis theories traditionally mark WWI as capitalism's turning point toward decline, though interpretations vary widely among Marxist traditions
• Neoliberalism is fundamentally misunderstood by leftists who equate it with laissez-faire policies rather than recognizing its public-private partnership model
• Conservative decadence theories correctly identify cultural symptoms but propose solutions that accelerate the problems they diagnose
• Contemporary manifestations of decadence include declining literacy, rising obesity, and political systems that increasingly cannot function according to their own principles
• The business cycle's reassertion after periods of apparent stability challenges deterministic theories of capitalism's inevitable collapse
• Multipolarity's emergence in global politics creates new instabilities but also potential openings for change

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