On 23th January 2023, I asked people on twitter: Who are some great critics of modernity? 700+ people responded. Here are 19 philosophers who will help you think more deeply about the modern world:

Nicolás Gómez Dávila: Dávila was a philosopher who refused the offer to become advisor to his country's president, choosing instead to create a personal library 30,000+ books strong and writing aphorisms. I've collected his ideas here: Davila's Aphorisms

Léon Krier: A great critic of soulless modern architecture who has built real alternatives. His most important book: The Architecture of Community.

Augusto Del Noce: Del Noce considered atheism, secularism, and the disappearance of God as the most important features of modern politics. He believed that understanding the metaphysics below our action was key to meaningful political action.

Tocqueville: Tocqueville was a French aristocrat who turned his trip to America into the most famous book ever written about Democracy: Democracy in America. Insights from the book collected here!

H.L. Mencken: Mencken published 10 million+ words and was called the “American Nietzsche.” Discover Mencken’s insights on the nature of democracy, the traits of aristocrats, and more here.

Paul Virilio puts speed and war at the center of human history. His books: Speed and Politics & The Information Bomb. Virilio: “There are eyes everywhere. No blind spot left. What shall we dream of when everything becomes visible? We'll dream of being blind.”

Vance Packard, a mid-century critic of our consumerist age, wrote about "Hidden Persuaders" constantly nudging us to buy products and services. He also wrote that "Big Business, Big Education, and Big Technology" were turning us into a "naked society" with no privacy.

C. S. Lewis, the writer of the Narnia series and a wildly popular Catholic philosopher, wrote many allegorical books in which he critiqued modernity: The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and more.

Ernst Junger was a German war hero and celebrated writer who wrote that heroism, vital acts, and the fullness of life only become manifest in war, danger, and risky situations. The modern world by prioritizing safety is setting itself up for terminal boredom and mediocrity.