Res Humanitariae

The article analyses Oswald Spengler’s philosophical work The Decline of the West, and the related philosophical and cultural context of the 20th century. This controversial work was written a hundred years ago, between 1918 and 1922, but its original contents remain relevant today. The author analysed the stages of development of world history, paying great attention to Western civilisation. History was understood in the sense of cyclical, recurring periodicity. Historical events repeat themselves, they are born, reach a climax, and die. In this sense, the idea is still relevant today, for example, in terms of peace and war in Europe. Even then, Spengler sensed that the devaluation of spiritual values ​​would lead to a new war. And it so happened. In the face of the current war between Russia and Ukraine, we can see that history is indeed repeating itself. It is interesting to note that, according to the author, crises occur when morality and moral values ​​decline. According to him, Christianity can no longer offer a very solid spiritual foundation; the God it proclaims seems neutral to the course of history, unknowable and distant. This is partially why nihilism, rationalism and pessimism appear, and then political authoritarianism, excessive individualism and honorifics, which begin to destroy the foundations of civilisation from within. Not all of Spengler’s prophecies have come true. It is true that there are many manifestations of all this even now; but the decline of the West that he predicted has only been partially fulfilled, because Christianity has not disappeared, and man is still searching for authentic truth, meaning and God today.