Very interesting! Was talking about the whole notion of “fuga dei cervelli” just the other day but in relation to Sicily. Thank you for another illuminating read!
It was sparked from reading an article about Sicily and whether Sicilians are brought up to hate their island that they inevitably flee. What also interested me was the literal translation of “fuga dei cervelli” – brains’ escape, rather than the English brain drain, it suggests that the escape is wilful and voluntary. Goethe wrote, "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything." While I’m not sure that is entirely true, it’s certainly worth pondering.
When a young, burgeoning middle class looks at the financial stress that parenting promises and a government not wanting to shoulder any responsibility in raising those citizens, the choice is obvious.
The culprit for pretty much everything? Humanity's extreme focus on GDP growth for, oh, the last couple of hundred years or so. We are reaching peak humanity for this "system" we've created. Hopefully we'll find another one. And soon. Great article, Eric. Reminds me to go to Civita as I have yet to see it. Lunch there after the summer? ;)
When I was a kid they took us to Civita and told us that we should take it in because when we were adults it might not be there any more. But it's still there!
I like the comparison between Civita and the aging population.
That photo of Bagnoregio evokes a memory of that family property and the great summer breeze and the views on the height there somewhere near the border of Molise and Campania. i am not sure if I ever knew our exact (or even approximate) point on the map. Do you remember?
Such a difficult and intractable problem, these towns that have essentially been emptied of their inhabitants. Civita di Bagnoregio makes me think of mountain and hilltop towns in my family's region of Abruzzo, like Castrovalva (near Anversa degli Abruzzi) and others (in Abruzzo and beyond). Declining birth rates is one issue; you also mention brain drain, another big problem. Many of these towns are hard to get to, with housing that is not easily adaptable to modern life. I wonder what (beyond trying to entice women to have more babies) possible solutions are being looked at, if any. I just started reading a book called "I Paesi Invisibili: Manifesto sentimentale e politico per salvare i borghi d'Italia," by Anna Rizzo. Have you read it? I'm only at the beginning, but curious to see what light the book might shed on this topic. Thanks for highlighting this topic.
With most problems, I feel like if I could make a unilateral decision I’d have some idea how to at least chip away at the problem. But in terms of these villages being emptied out, I don’t have an idea. I suppose if I were the mayor of a small town I’d try to make it develop toward being some kind of artist or writer retreat. The compromise Civita seems to have made is to allow themselves to become an open-air museum, but that will eventually erode the authenticity faster than nature will erode the walls.
No, I haven’t read the Anna Rizzo book, though I’ve heard of it. Will you check back when you’ve read more of it to tell me if it’s worth reading? I’d be interested in any relevant ideas the author may have.
So much food for thought. And I’m feeling a little sad reading this. One thing that stuck with me is this
“When there are fewer children, people become more materialistic, more hedonistic, more focused on careers, entertainment, travel,” she said. “There’s less altruism”.
I hadn’t thought of that. Is that true? I’m not expecting you to have the answer. Just putting it out there
It's a very sad thought. There's data on it based on charitable donations, consumer trends, etc. But it also seems true just on the face of it.
There are examples of this everywhere. People with no children or grown children complain they shouldn't have to pay taxes used for schools. I've tried to persuade people on this point repeatedly, including family members. Or current or recent world leaders without children (Macron, May, Merkel, Mark Rutte, etc.) not taking strong enough action on really fixing big long-term problems like climate change or mass migration. I think that more than half of Ferraris and Lamborghinis in Italy go to men with no children, even though only a little more than one-fifth of Italian men over 40 are childless. People who go to Burning Man or to own a yacht are also more likely to be childless.
(To be fair, it's also possible that people who don't have to support families are more likely to be able to afford Lamborghinis or trips to Burning Man).
The idea is that not having to worry about what happens after you're gone changes people's views. You're American, right? I read that something like 90% of Americans who support cutting foreign aid don't have a passport. They think, why should I care?
Ivan Krastev is another individual trying to work with similar lines of thought regarding declining birth rates and their social, economic, and global consequences.
I just looked for him on Substack, and I found an interview with him, but he doesn't seem to post on his own. Do you have a suggestion where I should start reading some of his work?
English is definitely not his first language, but I get a kick out of how he reminds me of Peter Lorre.
I first came across him in writing when he used to contribute to the New York Times. His writing is much more concise and less discursive (impressive, but less superficially entertaining)
The Institute for Human Sciences (sic) in Vienna is where he interacts with Timothy Snyder and a lot of other serious thinkers. Maybe there have always been people like that, but the talking heads that make it on to network (even PBS) TV kind of give intellectualism a bad name (probably intentionally). The way he interprets Rene Girard is just one of the minor, but valuable, jewels.
I think there's some limited progress to be made by making sure women can make decisions about their bodies, that new parents have time off and support for child care, and to have a serious reform of migration policy. But that's on the periphery. I think the real answer -- which'll never happen -- is that we reset what we expect from our lives, the economy, governments, etc. The current system is probably not sustainable.
Unlimited migration and an inability to stop illegal migration can’t help surely. Here in the UK we are being flooded with brain surgeons and physicists helping to make our country a success as well as celebrate diversity. And it sure ain’t working!
I don't think unlimited immigration is the goal, but neither is completely shutting down borders. I think there are a lot of little levers and dials governments can experiment with. But there's no single solution and ultimately a big part of it will have to be adapting to a new reality.
"The town doesn’t hum with life -- it exhales it." Nice phrase.
This is such an interesting and confusing subject. I understand that for the good of a country, a government has to take certain steps. But it's hard to think of any way to pursue the policy forcefully that wuldn't be criticized by some group. More rights 4 moms and expectant moms sounds good, but that's not going to do it on its own.
These days I think we’re so polarized that just about any political move will be opposed by half the public just as a knee-jerk reaction. But empowering women, making it easier on parents, and having a reasonable migrant policy seem like good first steps.
Very interesting! Was talking about the whole notion of “fuga dei cervelli” just the other day but in relation to Sicily. Thank you for another illuminating read!
I've been writing about brain drain going back to before I moved to Italy and it always seems to be sparked by a bad situation that then gets worse.
What were you saying about it in terms of Sicily? Any interesting insights?
It was sparked from reading an article about Sicily and whether Sicilians are brought up to hate their island that they inevitably flee. What also interested me was the literal translation of “fuga dei cervelli” – brains’ escape, rather than the English brain drain, it suggests that the escape is wilful and voluntary. Goethe wrote, "To have seen Italy without having seen Sicily is not to have seen Italy at all, for Sicily is the key to everything." While I’m not sure that is entirely true, it’s certainly worth pondering.
When a young, burgeoning middle class looks at the financial stress that parenting promises and a government not wanting to shoulder any responsibility in raising those citizens, the choice is obvious.
I agree 100% MisterLou! Well said.
The culprit for pretty much everything? Humanity's extreme focus on GDP growth for, oh, the last couple of hundred years or so. We are reaching peak humanity for this "system" we've created. Hopefully we'll find another one. And soon. Great article, Eric. Reminds me to go to Civita as I have yet to see it. Lunch there after the summer? ;)
Yes, yes, correct. You can't be a curmudgeon if you keep posting things I agree with!
I think wealth has replaced God as the focus of life for most people.
I'd be glad to go up to Civita for lunch, but it'd be a full day -- it's two hours each way. Would that work? I'll have my people call your people.
Two hours? Oh, right, you haven’t seen my new convertible yet. Trust me, it’s doable.
When I was a kid they took us to Civita and told us that we should take it in because when we were adults it might not be there any more. But it's still there!
I like the comparison between Civita and the aging population.
I had the idea when visiting Civita with a buddy back in June. I would have loved to see something like that back when I was a kid.
That photo of Bagnoregio evokes a memory of that family property and the great summer breeze and the views on the height there somewhere near the border of Molise and Campania. i am not sure if I ever knew our exact (or even approximate) point on the map. Do you remember?
Wasn’t it Monte Casino?
We were coming back from Campobasso and it was the property of a friend Sabina’s family. Unique spot.
Such a difficult and intractable problem, these towns that have essentially been emptied of their inhabitants. Civita di Bagnoregio makes me think of mountain and hilltop towns in my family's region of Abruzzo, like Castrovalva (near Anversa degli Abruzzi) and others (in Abruzzo and beyond). Declining birth rates is one issue; you also mention brain drain, another big problem. Many of these towns are hard to get to, with housing that is not easily adaptable to modern life. I wonder what (beyond trying to entice women to have more babies) possible solutions are being looked at, if any. I just started reading a book called "I Paesi Invisibili: Manifesto sentimentale e politico per salvare i borghi d'Italia," by Anna Rizzo. Have you read it? I'm only at the beginning, but curious to see what light the book might shed on this topic. Thanks for highlighting this topic.
With most problems, I feel like if I could make a unilateral decision I’d have some idea how to at least chip away at the problem. But in terms of these villages being emptied out, I don’t have an idea. I suppose if I were the mayor of a small town I’d try to make it develop toward being some kind of artist or writer retreat. The compromise Civita seems to have made is to allow themselves to become an open-air museum, but that will eventually erode the authenticity faster than nature will erode the walls.
No, I haven’t read the Anna Rizzo book, though I’ve heard of it. Will you check back when you’ve read more of it to tell me if it’s worth reading? I’d be interested in any relevant ideas the author may have.
Thanks for commenting!
So much food for thought. And I’m feeling a little sad reading this. One thing that stuck with me is this
“When there are fewer children, people become more materialistic, more hedonistic, more focused on careers, entertainment, travel,” she said. “There’s less altruism”.
I hadn’t thought of that. Is that true? I’m not expecting you to have the answer. Just putting it out there
It's a very sad thought. There's data on it based on charitable donations, consumer trends, etc. But it also seems true just on the face of it.
There are examples of this everywhere. People with no children or grown children complain they shouldn't have to pay taxes used for schools. I've tried to persuade people on this point repeatedly, including family members. Or current or recent world leaders without children (Macron, May, Merkel, Mark Rutte, etc.) not taking strong enough action on really fixing big long-term problems like climate change or mass migration. I think that more than half of Ferraris and Lamborghinis in Italy go to men with no children, even though only a little more than one-fifth of Italian men over 40 are childless. People who go to Burning Man or to own a yacht are also more likely to be childless.
(To be fair, it's also possible that people who don't have to support families are more likely to be able to afford Lamborghinis or trips to Burning Man).
The idea is that not having to worry about what happens after you're gone changes people's views. You're American, right? I read that something like 90% of Americans who support cutting foreign aid don't have a passport. They think, why should I care?
Yes, that makes sense Eric. And no, I’m Italian, born and raised. I live in California though.
Thank you for the comment, Giovanna ... you went one way across the Atlantic and I went the other way!
(I'm particularly happy to have Italian readers).
Where are you from, Eric?
Ivan Krastev is another individual trying to work with similar lines of thought regarding declining birth rates and their social, economic, and global consequences.
Thanks for the recommendation, Joe!
I just looked for him on Substack, and I found an interview with him, but he doesn't seem to post on his own. Do you have a suggestion where I should start reading some of his work?
https://youtu.be/tiJPm1gS3d4?si=PYj3WwCUtsKdQFIX
The above *might* be the best one??
https://youtu.be/UPkB9Gc8jKM?si=qA0agYlHFrm_qu3V
https://youtu.be/csJU8iL_i24?si=ZYP4oY4_AymRk2r0
https://youtu.be/H-XwWEMBhBc?si=CUxq5RlYAioO0fhs
English is definitely not his first language, but I get a kick out of how he reminds me of Peter Lorre.
I first came across him in writing when he used to contribute to the New York Times. His writing is much more concise and less discursive (impressive, but less superficially entertaining)
The Institute for Human Sciences (sic) in Vienna is where he interacts with Timothy Snyder and a lot of other serious thinkers. Maybe there have always been people like that, but the talking heads that make it on to network (even PBS) TV kind of give intellectualism a bad name (probably intentionally). The way he interprets Rene Girard is just one of the minor, but valuable, jewels.
Thank you, Joe! I have bookmarked these links and will start with the first one!
Thanks for sharing this interesting post: but what is to be done ?
I think there's some limited progress to be made by making sure women can make decisions about their bodies, that new parents have time off and support for child care, and to have a serious reform of migration policy. But that's on the periphery. I think the real answer -- which'll never happen -- is that we reset what we expect from our lives, the economy, governments, etc. The current system is probably not sustainable.
Unlimited migration and an inability to stop illegal migration can’t help surely. Here in the UK we are being flooded with brain surgeons and physicists helping to make our country a success as well as celebrate diversity. And it sure ain’t working!
I don't think unlimited immigration is the goal, but neither is completely shutting down borders. I think there are a lot of little levers and dials governments can experiment with. But there's no single solution and ultimately a big part of it will have to be adapting to a new reality.
"The town doesn’t hum with life -- it exhales it." Nice phrase.
This is such an interesting and confusing subject. I understand that for the good of a country, a government has to take certain steps. But it's hard to think of any way to pursue the policy forcefully that wuldn't be criticized by some group. More rights 4 moms and expectant moms sounds good, but that's not going to do it on its own.
These days I think we’re so polarized that just about any political move will be opposed by half the public just as a knee-jerk reaction. But empowering women, making it easier on parents, and having a reasonable migrant policy seem like good first steps.