Suicide of the West

Topic

A central theme from the All-In Summit, suggesting that Western civilization is undermining itself through fiscal irresponsibility, demographic decline, and the breakdown of civil discourse into violence.


First Mentioned

9/20/2025, 2:34:28 AM

Last Updated

9/20/2025, 2:44:01 AM

Research Retrieved

9/20/2025, 2:44:01 AM

Summary

The "Suicide of the West" is a concept that describes societal decay and the decline of Western civilization, a theme explored in influential books by James Burnham (1964) and Jonah Goldberg (2018). More recently, the *All-In Podcast* has adopted this theme, particularly in an episode discussing the murder of Charlie Kirk. The podcast hosts, David Sacks, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Friedberg, interpret the concept as a manifestation of societal breakdown fueled by a divisive "Woke Ideology" (allegedly promoted by institutions like teachers' unions), a breakdown in civil discourse, and rising political violence. They connect this theme to various contemporary events, including the murder of Charlie Kirk, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, and algorithmic content suppression on platforms like YouTube, framing the current moment as a fundamental battle for the core tenets of Western civilization.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Related Book (1964)

    Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism by James Burnham

  • Related Book (2018)

    Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy by Jonah Goldberg

  • Jonah Goldberg's Book ISBN

    978-1-101-90493-0

  • Jonah Goldberg's Book Pages

    464

  • Jonah Goldberg's Book Language

    English

  • Jonah Goldberg's Book Publisher

    Crown Forum

  • Primary Forum of Discussion (in context)

    All-In Podcast

  • Proposed Causes (by All-In Podcast hosts)

    Woke Ideology, Teachers Unions, Online Radicalization, Salad Bar Extremism

  • Key Themes (as discussed on All-In Podcast)

    Societal decay, breakdown of civil discourse, divisive 'Woke Ideology', political violence, assassination culture, algorithmic influence, censorship

  • Manifestations (as discussed on All-In Podcast)

    Murder of Charlie Kirk, Suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, YouTube content suppression, rise of Ellison Media Empire, potential TikTok acquisition by Oracle

Timeline
  • Publication of "Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism" by James Burnham, an influential work of political philosophy on Western declinism. (Source: Web Search Results)

    1964-01-01

  • Publication of "Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy" by Jonah Goldberg, warning against illiberal forms of populism. (Source: Web Search Results)

    2018-04-24

  • The All-In Podcast discusses the "Suicide of the West" as an overarching theme, linking it to contemporary events and societal decay. (Source: Document 6e2e1c76-03ee-44e6-b5c2-5a8baf006d65)

    Recent

  • The murder of Charlie Kirk is discussed on the All-In Podcast as a critical inflection point and a manifestation of rising 'Assassination Culture' and 'Political Violence'. (Source: Document 6e2e1c76-03ee-44e6-b5c2-5a8baf006d65)

    Recent

  • The suspension of Jimmy Kimmel by ABC is discussed on the All-In Podcast, framed as a consequence of false accusations against the MAGA movement and pressure from the FCC and network affiliates. (Source: Document 6e2e1c76-03ee-44e6-b5c2-5a8baf006d65)

    Recent

  • Algorithmic suppression of key interviews from the All-In Summit, including one with Tulsi Gabbard, on YouTube's 'Restricted Mode' is discussed as an example of algorithmic influence and censorship. (Source: Document 6e2e1c76-03ee-44e6-b5c2-5a8baf006d65)

    Recent

  • The potential acquisition of TikTok by Oracle is highlighted on the All-In Podcast as a major development in media consolidation and algorithmic control. (Source: Document 6e2e1c76-03ee-44e6-b5c2-5a8baf006d65)

    Recent

Web Search Results
  • Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny ...

    _The Suicide of the West_ by James Burnham is an influential work of political philosophy that was written in 1964, during the Cold War era and amidst the birth of the New Left and related countercultural movement activities. It fits in a long right-wing tradition of polemics on Western declinism, though it may be its most thoughtful and incisive iteration. Possibly more familiar to contemporary readers of politics, Jonah Goldberg has authored a book of the same title but makes a contrasting [...] “Suicide of the West,” subtitled “An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism,” is a classic work of political science, now fifty years old. It is much referred to by conservatives but little read by conservatives. It is NOT about how liberalism is the cause of the suicide of the West. In fact, liberals will find little to object to in this book. Nor is it an attempt, in any way, to refute liberalism as Burnham defines it (although in part this is because Burnham obviously believes it to [...] "Suicide of the West" is essential reading for understanding our political moment. Burnham combines intellectual rigor with psychological insight to produce a work more relevant today than when written. It's simultaneously the most depressing and illuminating political book you'll read—depressing because it shows how predictable our dysfunction was, illuminating because it provides a framework for potentially reversing it.

  • Suicide of the West

    First edition AuthorJonah Goldberg Language English Subjects Politics democratic backsliding rule of law nationalism populism PublisherCrown Forum Publication date April 24, 2018 Publication place United States Media type Print Pages 464 ISBN "ISBN (identifier)")978-1-101-90493-0 _Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy_ is a book by conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg.( [...] The book warns against illiberal forms of populism and argues that the West is increasingly facing the risk of decline.( Synopsis [edit] [...] Download as PDF Printable version In other projects Wikidata item From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2018 book by Jonah Goldberg For James Burnham's 1964 book, see James Burnham §Later writings. Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy Image 4

  • Goldberg's 'Suicide Of The West' Tackles Ills Of Identity ...

    INSKEEP: So is this what you're telling me? Is this the suicide of the West of your book title? You're telling me that we are either tribal or more civilized, and we are tearing down elements of civilization and becoming more tribal. No matter what our particular politics might be, that's what we're all doing. [...] INSKEEP: So is this what you're telling me? Is this the suicide of the West of your book title? You're telling me that we are either tribal or more civilized, and we are tearing down elements of civilization and becoming more tribal. No matter what our particular politics might be, that's what we're all doing. [...] INSKEEP: So is this what you're telling me? Is this the suicide of the West of your book title? You're telling me that we are either tribal or more civilized, and we are tearing down elements of civilization and becoming more tribal. No matter what our particular politics might be, that's what we're all doing.

  • Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism ...

    Print length. 464 pages · Language. English · Publisher. Crown Forum · Publication date. April 24, 2018 · Dimensions. 6.48 x 1.37 x 9.62 inches · ISBN-10. 1101904933.

  • Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of ...

    Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month ### Loading... # Suicide of the West: An Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberalism ### James Burnham 406 pages, Kindle Edition First published January 1, 1964 ### About the author Profile Image for James Burnham. #### James Burnham ## Ratings & Reviews ### Friends & Following ### Community Reviews [...] Profile Image for Marcus. Profile Image for Charles Haywood. Profile Image for A. Profile Image for Douglas Wilson. Profile Image for Joseph Stieb. Profile Image for Jack. Profile Image for Rudyard L.. Profile Image for Julio Pino. Profile Image for Shea Stacy. Profile Image for Thomas Lange. Profile Image for postmodern putin. Profile Image for Lynn. Profile Image for Tom Stamper. Profile Image for Ron Housley. Profile Image for Otto Lehto. Profile Image for Stetson. [...] Profile Image for Alberto. Profile Image for Daniel Vaughan. Profile Image for Jason Carter. Profile Image for Joseph Hirsch. Profile Image for TE. Profile Image for James. Profile Image for Dallas. Profile Image for Vagabond of Letters, DLitt. Profile Image for Shane Hawk. Profile Image for cool breeze. Profile Image for Victor N. Profile Image for Paula.