The meaning of "degeneration" was poorly defined but implied an organic change from more complex to simpler, less differentiated forms and, as the nineteenth century progressed, reflected an anxious pessimism about the future of European/Western civilization.
The meaning of "degeneration" was poorly defined. The meaning of "degeneration" implied an organic change from more complex to simpler forms. This was less differentiated. The meaning of "degeneration" reflected an anxious pessimism about the future of European/Western civilization.