Declinism is the belief that a society or institution is tending towards decline, often exacerbated by cognitive biases such as rosy retrospection, wherein the past is viewed more favorably than the present or future. This concept gained popularity from works like Oswald Spengler's _The Decline of the West_ and Edward Gibbon's _The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_, highlighting a long-standing belief in the inevitable decline of great civilizations.
Historian Arthur L. Herman noted that intellectuals have been predicting the imminent collapse of Western civilization for over 150 years, yet these predictions have often been proven exaggerated, reflecting a declinist mindset.
To overcome declinism, one can consciously acknowledge the progress and positive changes happening in society, focusing on constructive solutions rather than nostalgic comparisons.