C'était mieux avant! by Michel Serres

Abstract

Reviewed by: C'était mieux avant! by Michel Serres Keith Moser Serres, Michel. C'était mieux avant! Pommier, 2017. ISBN 978-2-7465-1288-7. Pp. 96. In his latest essay, which the cover of the book identifies as another sequel to his commercially successful Petite Poucette (2012), Serres pokes fun at members of the older generation who cling to an idealized version of the past. Combatting the pervasive mentality that "c'était mieux avant" with cogent arguments deriving their force from empirical evidence, the transdisciplinary philosopher demystifies utopian representations of the past. With a strong dose of his biting, sarcastic wit, Serres implores the ever-growing segment of the population that he refers to as the"Grands-Papas Ronchons"to think a little harder about all the immense anguish that quotidian existence used to entail for our not-so-distant human ancestors (6). In this regard, Serres reminds the reader that modern homo sapiens are living longer lives than ever before. In addition to this drastic increase in life expectancy, Serres explains how modern medicine alleviates the chronic pain associated with certain medical conditions for which there was no cure in the past. Citing compelling statistics to support his claims, Serres also posits that we are living in an unprecedented era of relative peace. While carnage incessantly inundates our plethora of screens, the philosopher notes that violence linked to organized warfare is no longer one of the leading causes of mortality, for the first time ever. Serres decries the senseless violence perpetrated by terrorist groups, but he asserts that these deplorable acts of aggression cannot be compared to the"boucheries perpétuelles"that epitomize much of human history (9). In this vein, the philosopher juxtaposes the current period of "soixante-cinq ans de paix" to "ces guerres d'antan" that claimed the lives of millions of victims (8; 9). Moreover, in "La fée électricité," Serres mocks the intellectual myopia of those who obstinately refuse to admit how inventions like electricity, central heating and air, and [End Page 280] running water have enhanced the quality of human life (76). Although those who are familiar with Serres's prolific oeuvre will notice that he covers similar ground in earlier works, he successfully refines many of his previous theories by adding critical nuances and new wrinkles. For instance, Serres persuasively maintains that the situation of billions of women has improved vastly in the twenty-first century. Not only were women denied access to basic civil liberties including universal suffrage and the right to own property, but Serres also presents disconcerting historical data related to the prevalence of domestic abuse and sexual assault that frequently occurred with impunity (75). The philosopher is cognizant that many forms of gender discrimination still exist. Nonetheless, he implies that older women who yearn for the past have even less to be nostalgic about than men. C'était mieux avant! is a thought-provoking essay written by an atypical philosopher whose highly original works offer invaluable insights about the world in which the modern subject now lives. [End Page 281] Keith Moser Mississippi State University Copyright © 2018 American Association of Teachers of French