What is Spengler's theory of historical cycles?
My central thesis is that history unfolds in distinct, discrete high cultures, each comparable to a living organism. These cultures possess an intrinsic 'soul,' a fundamental spiritual drive that shapes their entire development. They pass through inevitable stages: birth, growth, maturity, and decay, culminating in a state of civilization, which is the final, ossified phase before their inevitable demise. This is not a matter of progress, but of destiny.
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