Henry Adams and the gift of pessimism

Declinism is a temptation for frustrated conservatives. It can also be a source of genius.

Adams
(Image credit: (Bettmann/CORBIS))

When a conservative fails at politics, his temptation is to become a Declinist. All that is left is cataloging human folly, and sighing wistfully at the civilization that is moldering around him. Rather than making his interpretation of history parallel to the theory of biological evolution — where everywhere there is adaptation and higher forms — the Declinist is haunted by the physical law of entropy. All dissipates before him.

Henry Adams is America's greatest Declinist, and proof that this particular form of despair has its charms, even its own genius. The grandson of John Quincy Adams (and great grandson of John Adams), Henry was a close observer of political life, acting as a secretary for the American delegation to St. James' court once he was out of school. Henry Adams tried to make his effect on the world through political journalism, which was about as effective in shaping history during the Gilded Age as it is now.

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Michael Brendan Dougherty

Michael Brendan Dougherty is senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is the founder and editor of The Slurve, a newsletter about baseball. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, ESPN Magazine, Slate and The American Conservative.