August 08, 2024

A brief history of the glorification of the past

One day, when I will be old and wise, I will study philosophy and socio-psychology, and my research topic will be the myth of the glorious past. The rosy retrospection syndrome, "neiges d'antan."

Another topic might be the study of happiness, but this correlates dangerously well with depression.


Because we have at least 4,000 years of documented history of glorification of the past. Probably the first hieroglyph written by the first Egyptian scribe was about how things were better "in the old days." And the last story told by the last Neanderthal was likely about "today's decadent Sapiens civilization and their decline compared to the moral values of our Homo Erectus ancestors."


On the other hand, when I will be older and wiser, I will most likely write an essay about the decline of the modern world.

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