How To Beat Brain Rot

Combat the Word of the Year

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

In case you missed the big news that recently came out of the OED, the Oxford English Dictionary anointed their “word of the year” for 2024. As a clear indication of the decline in English standards as well as an ironic demonstration of the concept itself, the TWO words of the year crowned were: Brain Rot.

Photo by David Matos on Unsplash

Defined as, “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging,” its win perhaps represents the descriptive work of the OED, rather than prescriptive expectations.

Either way, it’s a term that accurately portrays a phenomena we’ve all experienced, either first hand or witnessed in those around us...and I’m sure it’s not contentious to assert: it's on the rise.

You’ll be relieved, however, to learn that the term is not born out of a TikTok trend or a hashtag twitter... it actually originated from Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden, proof that stemming the encroachment of triviality has been at least 171 years in the works.

“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”

Classics lovers may think of similar complaints from the ancients, such as the comical but not authentic line misattributed to Cicero:

"Times are bad. Children no longer obey their parents, and everyone is writing a book.'

While sadly the one above is most likely a modern invention, Cicero did still lament societal decay. In his First Oration Against Catiline in 63 BC, he rues:

"O tempora, o mores!"
— ("Oh, the times! Oh, the customs!")

Now, if Cicero were alive today, I suspect he would be hesitant to use the term Brain rot, though I’m sure he would agree with its presence. I think he would also argue (along with the other greats) that the best way to stave off such a mental affliction is to disregard the fake, the vapid, the noise that we are bombarded with and to focus instead on intellectually challenging endeavors.

We should aim to read, to listen to ideas and to study the wisdom that came before us... and as we discussed during last week’s look at Stoicism and Cicero, we shouldn’t learn from just one author or school of thought. We have in humanity’s great possession, a profound wealth of insights from the Essential Greeks.

It is these ideas and minds, from Homer to Aristotle, that we will discover in our Essential Greeks Course, starting THIS Wednesday at Noon EST.

This 10 part course covers the epics, the tragedians, the historians and the philosophers, all presented by a charming Australian man (my husband) and completed with original texts to read and tests to review.

If you haven’t already, make sure to sign up for this year’s class, beginning January 15th, and stop brain rot in its tracks:

All the best,

Anya Leonard

Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom

P.S. We are still offering this course at $50 off, so enjoy this discount and secure your spot here: