Overview
Degeneration generally refers to some process of decline, but it adopts more specific meanings depending on the context.
In medicine, “degeneration” refers to a decline in the function of body parts and processes. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and degenerative disc disease are common examples of the degeneration associated with getting older.
In electronics, “degeneration” refers to a negative feedback process where an amplifier’s signal is partly fed back into the input to improve aspects of signal quality.
In politics and social theories, “degeneration” has a long and unfortunate history.
History and Etymology
I never miss a chance to bring up The Sopranos if I can. One of Tony Sopranos’ earliest memories of seeing his father in his role as a mobster concerned his visit to a “degenerate gambler,” and as the show progresses, he eventually embraces gambling himself as a reflection of the deterioration of his. The conflation of addiction with degeneracy is tied closely to the theories about genetic inferiority that were pioneered by eugenics movements globally. The disease model of addiction and patterns of substance use disorders that emerge across families actually fed into the idea of genetic degeneracy in bloodlines over time compared to a moral model that was more likely to incorporate individual agency.