On this edition of Parallax Views, Neil Howe, coiner of the term “Millennial”, joins us to discuss his new book The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End. Howe, alongside his late colleague William Struass, came up with a generational view of history that emphasized history being cyclical rather than linear. This came about when Howe began to wonder about the differences between Baby Boomers and the GI Generation.
Strauss and Howe’s work has influenced a diverse range of figures including former Vice President Al Gore, progressive radio host Thom Hartmann, and, most infamously, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon (who made a documentary, Generation Zero, that was heavily influenced by the Fourth Turning theory). Neil and I will discuss the ins-and-outs of the Fourth Turning, generational archetypes, community vs. atomization, the decline of academia and academic disciplines, and much, misunderstanding about the Fourth Turning, whether the Howe-Strauss generational theory of history ignores material and identity (like gender) related issues, culture, and much more in this wide-ranging conversation.
