: Modern individuals are portrayed as being alive but badly shaken, confused, and shorn of their former certainties.

In the 20th century, Western humanity attempted to "fly to the sun" by pursuing grand utopian ideologies, including Marxist communism and the belief in inevitable, limitless progress. Delsol argues that these attempts to master existence and create a "perfect" society eventually failed, leading to a catastrophic "fall" back to earth.

For those seeking deeper study, summaries and reviews are available on platforms like PhilPapers , National Review , and Denver Seminary .

Reviewers often compare Delsol's work to other influential cultural critiques, such as Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism .

Delsol, a prominent French political philosopher, identifies several critical shifts in the postmodern landscape:

: The book describes a shift from long-term striving toward great ends to a "morality of complacency" that prioritizes short-term comfort and the avoidance of all risk—what Delsol calls the "zero risk" mentality.