The Decline Reading Group

Montreal, Canada
2026-2027

The Decline Reading Group resumes after a nine-year hiatus.

Once again, we will study the causes and character of the decline of peoples and civilizations in history, guided by the following principles:

• decline is a real phenomenon, as well as a judgment of events;
• human life or nature has not changed sufficiently since the emergence of civilization to prevent us from learning from, not merely about, past theorists of decline;
• the variety of contexts and outlooks represented by our thinkers will enable us to enrich, rather than force us to abolish, our concept of decline;
• through careful interpretation of our texts, we might equip ourselves better to understand our age.

All are welcome. No significant prior exposure to political philosophy and philosophy of history is required to participate, only the will to think.

The original reading group was held under the friendly auspices of the University of Cambridge's Forum on (now Center for) Geopolitics.

The group will convene on Friday afternoons near Parc Jeanne-Mance (address provided via email) with an online option.

Sessions will be recorded and shared on YouTube etc. with participants' permission.

Convened by Cody Valdes, formerly Senior Lecturer at Sai University. Write to indicate interest: cody.valdes@gmail.com.

Part I - Democratic Decline: Empire, Revolution, and Tyranny

Fall 2026

18 September, 2026 - Thucydides on democratic Athens’ imperial misadventures

Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

2 October, 2026 - Plato on the soul of the regime, the making of tyrants, and the sophist’s view of justice

Plato, Republic

—, Gorgias

16 October, 2026 - Aristotle on constitutional instability and democratic excess

Aristotle, Politics

30 October, 2026 - Numa Fustel de Coulanges on the decay of ancient democracy

Fustel de Coulanges, The Ancient City

13 November, 2026 - Rousseau on subjectivity, republican decline, and despotism

Rousseau, Social Contract

27 November, 2026 - Rousseau continued

Rousseau, Discourse on the Sciences and Arts

11 December, 2026 - Montesquieu on the decline of ancient republics and constitutional imbalance

Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws

21 December, 2026 - Montesquieu continued

Montesquieu, Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and their Decadence

Winter/Spring 2027

8 January, 2027 - Hobbes on divided sovereignty, censorship, and civil war

Hobbes, Leviathan

—, Behemoth

29 January, 2027 - Schmitt on states of emergency and the constitutional weakness of liberal democracy

Schmitt, Dictatorship

—, The Crisis of Parliamentary Democracy

—, The Guardian of the Constitution

19 February, 2027 - Arendt on the democratic path to totalitarianism

Arendt, On the Origins of Totalitarianism

—, On Revolution

12 March, 2027 - Tocqueville on the slope from democracy to soft tyranny in America

Tocqueville, Democracy in America

2 April, 2027 - Burke on revolution, parties, and the corruptions of empire

Burke, Thoughts on the Cause of the Present Discontents

—, Considerations on the Revolution of France

23 April, 2027 - Hegel and de Maistre on modern atheism, democracy, and civil discord

Hegel, Philosophy of Right

de Maistre, St. Petersburg Dialogues

14 May, 2027 - Nietzsche on modern democracy as decadent politics

Nietzsche, The Gay Science

4 June, 2027 - Founding Fathers, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Trump on private ambition, the American presidency, and imperial temptations

Cato, Brutus, Federal Farmer, et al., The Anti-Federalist Papers

Washington, Farewell Address, 1796

Lincoln, 'The Perpetuation of our Political Institutions' ('Lyceum Address'), 1838

Teddy Roosevelt, 'Address before the Naval War College,' 1897

'Mandate for Leadership 2025’ (“Project 2025”), ed. P. Dans and S. Groves (Heritage Foundation, 2023)

National Security Strategy of the United States of America (2025)

Part II - Decline of Monarchy, Aristocracy, and Empire

2027-2028

Programme to be announced in 2027