The rise of 'woke' thought and digital currencies are among the warning signs that Western civilization could be about to collapse, said investor and expert Doug Casey.
Casey's book 'Crisis Investing' topped the New York Times nonfiction chart, focusing on the looming crisis facing Western civilization.
In subsequent books and podcast interviews, the veteran speculator has focused on signs that he sees as warnings, based on his study of historical events such as the fall of Ancient Rome.
He told DailyMail.com that there are now seven clear signs that he believes show that Western civilization is facing an end.
He said: 'I'm unhappy about Western civilization winding down, because it's by far the best civilization in world history.
'In fact, it's the only civilization in world history that even matters, quite frankly.'
Casey believes that there are important lessons to be found in the fall of the Roman Empire, which occurred after the Romans expanded not only by sea but also by land, leaving the Empire facing excessive taxation and inflation.
Experts such as Professor Joseph Tainter of the University of Utah saying that the fall of Rome shows that over-complexity can lead to collapse.
One of the warning signs is that Casey believes that free thought is central to Western civilization but is currently being washed away.
Casey said: 'Free thought, which is actually unique to the West, that's being washed away by cancel culture and political correctness and thought crimes.
'Free thought is being washed away, followed by free speech.'
Casey said that other warning signs include the decline of free markets: the fall of Rome saw growth in the state.
He said: 'People who believe in the state believe in coercion, and they believe the government has a right to direct these things. That's on the upsurge as well.'
Numbers bear out Casey's ideas: over the past 100 years, the cost of government has gone from just 5 to 10 percent of GDP to 40 percent and even 60 percent in countries like France and Italy, according to Cambridge research.
Casey said that there are many parallels to the fall of Rome, where power became more and more centralized, and former soldiers became the recipients of welfare.
He said: 'After wars, particularly the Punic Wars, the Yeoman farmers that went off to defend the interests of the Republic came home; their farms were in disrepair and bankrupt, so they'd have to move to the cities where they became recipients of welfare. There are a lot of parallels to that in in the modern West.'
Power became more centralized and more Romans moved out of the Empire, leaving the Roman empire vulnerable to collapse.
Casey said: 'It's the second law of thermodynamics, everything winds down and becomes corrupt.'
Other signs that Western civilization may be coming to an end include the fact that the concept of individualism is also being eroded today, Casey believes.
Casey said: 'If you thought individualism is a good thing, you'll give it as anti-social, because in the era of identity politics, they're not to be seen as an individual, be seen as a member of a racial group or some other similar group, if not race, gender.'
Casey believes that another key sign is that rationality is being washed away, because it's seen as 'too white', along with science and logic.
Casey said: 'A lot of these people in the world today hate progress because it leads naturally to inequality, because not everybody is as strong or as smart or as honest as other people, so they don't like that, the idea of primacy that's really been washed away. That's the danger of this era of safe spaces.'
The erosion of the idea of property rights - in an era where everything from cars to smartphones are rented rather than owned - is another key sign, Casey warns.
He said: 'You've heard this from the Davos people. You'll own nothing, and you'll be happy, and you'll get a guaranteed annual income with three hots and a cot. So property rights are being washed away.'
Another sign is that cash is being abandoned.
Casey said: 'Cash allows you to build wealth on your own, privately. And what seems to be on the runway are central bank digital currencies, CBDCs.
'If those are instituted, there will be zero privacy of what you own, what you buy, what you sell, everything will be known in a very powerful computer, especially with AI. This becomes much more ominous than it's ever been in the past. So if you believe in privacy and individualism, the CBDC is going to put paid to any remnants of that.
The final sign is that the rule of law is evaporating, Casey said.
Instead of laws, there are 'millions and millions' of micro regulations. He said, 'there's no rule of law with millions of laws and regulations anymore. It's an illusion.'
Casey said he is 'sorry' to see America 'washed away.'
He said: 'It's happened with the British Empire. I'm really sorry to see America being washed away, and the things that America stood there because America really was unique.'
Casey said that many people say he is a 'doom and gloomer', but he actually is optimistic over the longer term, and believes that the human race can expand and conquer space - but only after the collapse of what is here now.
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