The End is Near, or Is It?

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Dorian Linskey explores humanity's persistent fascination with apocalyptic scenarios through his book "Everything Must Go: The Stories We Tell About the End of the World." This deep dive into our cultural obsession with the end times reveals how these narratives reflect our psychology, politics, and understanding of human nature.

• Mary Shelley created the first secular apocalyptic novel with "The Last Man," establishing a genre that continues to influence modern fiction
• Our imagination was "swallowed" by the atomic bomb for decades, making it the reference point for all other existential threats
• Pandemics often leave surprisingly little cultural impact despite their devastation, as seen after both the Spanish Flu and COVID-19
• Zombie narratives function as political commentary on social breakdown, revealing how communities respond to crisis
• Climate change has replaced nuclear war as our primary apocalyptic concern
• Apocalyptic language is used by various groups to motivate action or manipulate fear
• Looking at past unrealized doomsday predictions can provide reassurance about current anxieties

Find out more about Dorian Linskey at dorianlinskey.com or listen to his podcasts "Origin Story" and "Oh God, What Now?"