The New Dark Ages

A provocative argument about how an increase in literacy jumpstarted modern civilization and how its decline threatens democracy and the future of humanity

The beginning of the modern era saw the widespread adoption of new printing technologies that allowed the written word to spread far and wide. It's not by chance this period also saw the rise of revolutions and the decline of the aristocratic order. For the first time, a critical mass of people could share and debate ideas about individual rights, the purpose of government, and scientific truth. With rising literacy came the world we recognize today.

Now, around the world, the number of people who read is in free fall. Literacy is declining or stagnating in most developed countries. University students are unable to read the books assigned in their classes. The golden chain of knowledge linking reader to reader through the centuries is breaking for the first time since the collapse of the Western Roman Empire ushered in the Dark Ages. In The Dawn of the Post-Literate Society, London Times columnist James Marriott argues that this is the most important cultural shift of our time. The age of print is giving way to the age of the screen. The world we knew is passing away and nothing will ever be the same again.

Marriott gives an impassioned attack on the trivial culture of the screen and a defense of the written word and long-form argument. Drawing on history, media theory, and sociology, The Dawn of the Post-Literate Society argues that reading and writing are essential for innovation, creativity, and complex thought. Above all, the culture of print is critical to the functioning of modern democracies which require their citizens to grapple with ideas at length and in depth. As print dies we risk returning to the chaos, tribalism, and rage of the world before widespread literacy.JAMES MARRIOTT is a London Times columnist and the author of the Substack Cultural Capital, covering society, ideas and culture. He also reviews podcasts. Previously he worked as an assistant on the Times's books desk. Before joining the paper he worked in the rare book trade.