[mistersquid]

> I'd recommend "The Twilight of American Culture" by Morris Berman

Looks like a solid recommendation. Looking forward to reading it.

A summary (from Christian Science Monitor via Apple Books) says that Berman suggests the solution to an eroding cultural store of value is for the proliferation of the "monastic individual" who retreats from the larger "Mass Mind" culture to assess, curate, and preserve society's literary and cultural treasures.