Decline and Fall

John Michael Greer is a scholar of ecological history and an internationally renowned Peak Oil theorist whose blog, The Archdruid Report, has become one of the most widely cited online resources dealing with the future of industrial society. He is the author of more than 30 books including Green Wizardry and The Wealth of Nature. He has been active in the contemporary nature spirituality movement for more than 25 years.

June 2014 - UTNE Magazine Shedding new light on the misunderstood idea of empire and the costs of imperial overstretch, Greer shows how the US has backed itself into a corner in the pursuit of political and economic power and explores the inevitable consequences of imperial collapse. June 2014 - Review, Resilience.org, Mary Wildfire... there is much food for thought in this book, which brings together the realities of oil depletion and the other elements of the impending age of limits with the evidence that America's empire is in decline. Greer's work is nothing short of brilliant.---Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow, Post-Carbon Institute, and author, The Party's Over and The End of Growth When we find ourselves falling off the lofty peak of infinite progress, our civilization's mythology predisposes our imaginations to bypass reality altogether, and to roll straight for the equally profound abyss of the Apocalypse. Greer breaks this spell, and instead offers us a view on our deindustrial future that is both carefully reasoned and grounded in spirituality. --Dmitry Orlov, author, Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse The enormous virtue of John Michael Greer's work is that his wisdom is never conventional, but profound and imaginative.--Sharon Astyk, author, Depletion and Abundance and Independence Days John Michael Greer writes with unsurpassed clarity about the predicaments of energy and economy mankind faces. And he does it with a wonderfully kind, genial, and wise spirit. --James Howard Kunstler, author, The Long Emergency and The World Made by Hand novels The enormous virtue of John Michael Greer's work is that his wisdom is never conventional, but profound and imaginative. --Sharon Astyk, author, Depletion and Abundance and Independence Days, Greer ... offers us not only an excellent read, but tangible tools for navigating the transition. --Carolyn Baker, author, Speaking Truth to Power

• Prologue: Understanding Empire Part One: The Course Of Empire 1. Origins of American Empire 2. The Struggle Over Empire 3. America at Zenith Part Two: The Widening Gyre 4. The Failure of Politics 5. The Economic Unraveling 6. The Specter of Defeat 7. The Consequences of Collapse Part Three: A Republic, If You Can Keep It 8. The Future of Democracy 9. Reinventing Society 10. Facing a Hard Future Afterword: A Choice of Tomorrows Notes Bibliography Index About the Author