All Societies Die: How to Keep Hope Alive

by Samuel Cohn

In All Societies Die , Samuel Cohn asks us to prepare for the inevitable. Our society is going to die. What are you going to do about it? But he also wants us to know that there's still reason for hope. In an immersive and mesmerizing discussion Cohn considers what makes societies (throughout history) collapse. All Societies Die points us to the historical examples of the Byzantine empire, the collapse of Somalia, the rise of Middle Eastern terrorism, the rise of drug cartels in Latin America and the French Revolution to explain how societal decline has common features and themes. Cohn takes us on an easily digestible journey through history. While he unveils the past, his message to us about the present is searing. Through his assessment of past―and current―societies, Cohn offers us a new way of looking at societal growth and decline. With a broad panorama of bloody stories, unexpected historical riches, crime waves, corruption, and disasters, he shows us that although our society will, inevitably, die at some point, there's still a lot we can do to make it better and live a little longer. His quirky and inventive approach to an "end-of-the-world" scenario should be a warning. We're not there yet. Cohn concludes with a strategy of preserving and rebuilding so that we don't have to give a eulogy anytime soon.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sociology, History

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2021

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a terrible mess. What an awful car crash of a book! I spent the first digestible 200 pages or so thinking that the author had simply put pen to paper to conjure up some loose ideas without bothering to provide any robust foundation. After that the book just simply veered off the road and smashed headlong into a wall of pathetic platitudes.

I would frankly be shocked if this book makes it to market without a fundamental edit and inclusion of at least some robust examples to underpin the statements made. Now I just feel cheated out of the hours spent reading this book.

If you were under the impression that this was going to be anything like "Why Nations Fail" by Daron Acemoğlu and James Robinson or Collapse by Jared Diamond, stay well away from this one.

[Ethan · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you can imagine, this is a real fun read. Very optimistic.

Of course not, but the book is a reminder of the limitations and fallibility of all societies. All kinds of societies have risen and have fallen. The author points out the collapse of Rome and the Byzantines specifically, which have haunted the Western imagination ever since.

He points out the various challenges and ways in which societies lead to collapse. He then tries to provide some ways forward.

The author and the work are a little too self-confident in their assertions. For instance, it's ironic to be told we have to listen to others and consider their views and then also need to maintain a robust government which sufficiently supports itself with enough tax money; those two principles would not work well together in modern American discourse (and I don't even disagree with the latter!).

All societies die. How much hope to have in ours is much more debated.

[Susan Welby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book

This book transcends the ugliness we are witnessing in 2025 America. It provides a framework for unpacking the incomprehensible brutality unfolding before us. It presents a set of dynamic forces, factors and cycles that drive human group behaviors in societal struggles as we humans grow in numbers beyond our resources. The author gives us a lens through which to view abhorrent human events without entirely dismissing humanity as simply evil and doomed. It seems that there is a glimmer of hope here - if we can collaboratively address unsustainable growth without resorting to annihilating or exploiting existing populations.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an unconventional book. It takes big, tough ideas grounded in an immense body of historical and contemporary research and communicates them in clear, direct, short sentences and chapters. It asks hard questions about how human collectivities come together and break apart. It takes some of the most depressing material you can think of and yields a message of hope. Whatever your inclinations, it will make you angry. It will do that in a way that makes you think.

Read it. It's worth your time.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think one of the most important things that needs to be pointed out about this book is the fact that it is written for the general public and therefore may appear simplistic in areas.
I think this book job does of offering topics in a clear manner. This book is a good starting point. It is by no means an end to the discussion.
I'm not sure that he completely proves his hypothesis but there are good ideas presented.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was assigned to read this book for my class and it is without a doubt the best book I have ever had to read for school. It is an accessible read for anyone with little background in social sciences and that allows wide readership.

I loved the many varied and global examples that were presented, as well as the non-pretentious writing style.

I learned a-lot about the world and how it's functioning and how we can keep it that way.

[Katra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Insightful, but lacking in what I need most at this time, hope.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

As with many before him, and probably many after him, the author has a simple idea: obey and not question the Nanny.

[Tomas Bella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zvláštny formát - ťažkú tému chcel autor zľahčiť tak, že ju nasekal na množstvo extrémne krátkych kapitol. Knihe to skôr uškodilo, ale aj tak dosť zaujímavých historických postrehov.