[teterphiel]

The ancients took it for granted that civilisations would rise, reach a peak, and then gradually decline, similar to other living things. It's a distinctly western/modern idea that there could be unceasing progress.

While both these views are essentially myths, my money is on the ancients being more in-line with reality. At the very least I don't need to look at decline and call it "weird". Permanent progress on the other hand is a political poison that will turn people against one another as they try to find the culprits.

[aaomidi]

And consume the world while we're at it.

[brutusborn]

Consumption is arguably part of the reason for the decline.

There's no fundamental reason civilization can't "advance" whilst consuming less.