{"product_id":"holding-up-a-mirror-how-civilizations-decline-9780907845607","title":"Holding Up a Mirror: How Civilizations Decline","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe good news is: that faith in material goods really does bring prosperity to society. The bad news is: that self-same commitment to material things leads inexorably to the destruction of the civilizations it builds. Using theatre as a measure society's health, this book shows that Ancient Greece and Rome, Mediaeval Christendom and our own contemporary society all follow the same pattern: prosperity thrives on the conviction that the material world alone constitutes true 'reality'; but that very conviction leads to a rejection of the supernatural, undermines absolute moral standards, and leads to cultural and social disintegration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Imprint Academic (Ips)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50846565105938,"sku":"9780907845607","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bc6f3886-e412-4325-bbab-94f2dd00aacd.jpg?v=1737364281","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/holding-up-a-mirror-how-civilizations-decline-9780907845607","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}