Ross's new book, The Decadent Society: How We Became the Victims of Our Own Success ... Ross's surprising perspective on technological change ... The Back to the Future test: looking at 1955 vs. 1985 and 1985 vs. 2015 ... Is information technology leading to disruption or stagnation? ... Imagining how a new renaissance might emerge ... Space travel as an escape from decadence ... Ross is skeptical about Bob's favorite Catholic theologian, Teilhard de Chardin ... The Matrix, Wall-E, and Jesus ... Applying Ross's decadence thesis to the pandemic and the protests ...