Merci, Monsieur Douthat

New York Times columnist and resident French expert Ross Douthat returns once more to talk about his new book, The Decadent Society. He makes the case that decadence is more than just high-calorie desserts and rich Corinthian leather; the phenomenon is more about the space race, the birth dearth, our dumb Hollywood blockbusters, and our painful politics. Oh, and the coronavirus has turned him into a doomsday prepper. But Ross is a Bonhomme if you will, so we’re betting he survives his book tour unscathed. Show Notes: -Ross’ book, The Decadent Society -Daniel Kahneman on thinking fast and slow -The evils of the coronavirus distributors in public bathrooms -The process of recording an audiobook -Peter Thiel and his “almost lifelike” enunciation -Jacques Barzun’s From Dawn to Decadence -Suicide of the West, now out in paperback! -F.J. Turner’s Frontier thesis -Where UN peacekeepers have succeeded, and where they’ve failed -Robert Nisbet’s recounting of the WWI horse problem -Tina Fey on Conan O’Brien’s podcast -Ross’ NYT podcast -DoorDash, promo code REMNANT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices