in The world was flat. Now it’s flat, Music historian and cultural critic Ted Georia argues that we live through cultural upheavals that are as important as Renaissance and Enlightenment. As those times celebrate humanism, innovation and reason, our moments that he calls the “breakdown of the knowledge system” drift from art and insight towards distraction and addiction.
He calls it the “dopamine culture,” and is instantly satisfied and shaped by the profit motives of high-tech giants. He warns that this change is reshaping how we consume information, interact with creative works, and talk more.
If previous generations were invested in long-term possibilities for users and cultural gatekeepers, today’s patrons are platforms. Their algorithm rewards sensational, digestible, and instantly satisfying, fueling what gioia calls the “tribe to the bottom.” Actual experts were put aside, facts were dismissed as elitist or partisan, and trustworthy knowledge owned torrents of content that had not been filtered out. In healthcare, like politics, “strange” becomes the new normal and the only ironic currency of truth.
Gioia’s concerns are sharp, but they are not unprecedented. Cultural destiny always hides innovation. From early agriculture (destroying nature) to artificial intelligence, patterns are preserved. The press was expected to unleash the confusion by putting dangerous knowledge into the hands of the congregants. Novels were once feared that women would stray and undermine virtues. The car was criticized for destroying a walkable town and creating the fossil fuel sprawl.
Similarly, rock and roll was accused of corrupt influence, and even Plato complained about the youth of his then.
In both cases, the apocalypse of feared cultures was embodied primarily in the moralist nerves. What felt like a unique collapse was the disorientation of an unpleasant, sometimes ugly transition, before the next order was established.
Panic about AI today fits the pattern. Students fear that academic policies will become increasingly strict and will be accused of using AI in their original works. Although competence naturally wants to maintain integrity, this response can risk suffocating curiosity in an atmosphere of doubt.
As Princeton’s D. Graham Burnett wrote recently New Yorkerto pretend that “the most important revolution of the past century hasn’t happened.” We “can’t let students read,” he argues, we should provide the job they want to do.
To look more clearly, what Gioia explains may not collapse as an extreme, messy democratization of creativity. Traditional gatekeepers have declined, and in their absence countless new voices have emerged. This noisy prosperity represents not decline but redistribution, a change in creativity from a few to many. “Flatification of expertise” can be seen as a sound skepticism of once-flattered authority. We may not be witnessing the end of deep thought, but rather dispersing its dispersion into new, less centralized forms.
This year, from sustainable school cafeterias to modified urban EV chargers, AI to detect counterfeit drugs, and enzyme-based systems to update synthetic textiles, we bring hundreds of efforts to address energy, healthcare and climate change. Others will use AI to grow crops using fog-based systems in desert climates, recommending energy-efficient home upgrades, and redesigning recycling platforms to trade industrial waste, including those that utilize plastic-destructive microorganisms.
These efforts require a deep focus and long-term commitment, and stand as a direct rebuttal of a culture that appears to have been lost to temporary satisfaction. This is the opposite of collapse. It is in stark contrast to the silence of actual decline or the curated echo chambers of the past.
Progress has always been a double-edged sword. “Those that increase knowledge increases sadness.” The disorientation of our moments is authentic. But criticism of Gioia’s false authenticity is not just a warning, it’s a spark. It challenges creators to find fresh ways to connect and build true values in a noisy world.
Creativity has not declined. It’s a changing ground. What feels like “every season is there,” and the chaos of collapse, may be the turbulence of new beginnings. Everything is beautiful –“at that time.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 11.
Notes and reading
Platon -The exact points are as follows: “Dads are used to being down to their son’s level and fear. By being on the level with their father, they do not respect or fear their parents. RepublicBook VIII, 562E – 563E.
context: This text is part of Socrates’ argument, explaining the decline of democracy. An excessive desire for freedom leads to a reversal of social norms and a disregard of authority, creating a chaotic state that ultimately allows the tyrant to take power away.
Professor Princeton D. Graham Burnett – “The ruins of the old curriculum are mixed with important things. ” New Yorker, April 26, 2025.
For readers looking for specific reasons for their wishes, please refer to World Change Ideas Award 2025brings attention to many individuals and organizations reconstructing the future. These projects are not waiting for the government. They act. look: First Company“The World Change Idea Award 2025“April 2025.
The final thoughts about others: We often make the difference in mirrors: aliens in another world look like us, astrology affirms us, AI thinks like us. True others may not be noticed and may be too aware of them to be recognized. Truman Show It ends with a man who dares to step beyond the curated world he once believed in. movie arrival They start with beings that are so heterogeneous that they relearn how to understand. Both suggest that Feeling like a collapse may be the shock of encountering something really different.
Religious language can cause the same shock. David Bentley Hart’s own translation of the New Testamentfaithful to Greek life and subtlety, and smoother translation reveals polished ones, allowing you to listen to traditionally faithful people. In contrast, efforts to restore a victorious version of history will omit objections, suppress diversity, suppress differences, and provide salvation and patriotism tailored to taste.
Tip #209 -Author and Ancient Discussion
Tip #208 – Burnout Gospel
Approx. 2 + 2 = 5
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
