When the first German edition of this work was published in the early fifties, readers and critics did not notice that here was a writer standing alongside the French existentialists, who viewed the world differently than they did. He did not call for revolution—like Camus—but rather for resignation and inactivity. For him, every action inevitably contributes to decay, to the further disintegration of the world; it only amplifies the misery of humanity, just as feelings do. Cioran sees every religion, every form of belief, and every ideology as an illusion, always inclined to exert a kind of terror against those who hold different opinions. "The Doctrine of Decay" is a disillusioning book, but also one full of paradoxes. It is an important document for understanding the world of our time.