We are at the end of a decade that has no name. The 2010s cannot really talk about itself, and this confusion is only partly born of semantics. While the term “noughties” was applied to the first decade of the 21st century, few would be comfortable calling this past decade the “teenies”. A century ago, there was no need to worry about such categorisation: the 1910s were simply the era of the Great War.

But our semantic uncertainty also reflects a deeper problem about analysis and truth. As human civilisation seeks meaning in its decimally ordered notion of time, language offers labels to capture each generation’s mood. In retrospect, the "twenties", "thirties", "forties", "fifties", "sixties", "seventies", "eighties" and "nineties" all evoke powerful associations. The '60s immediately calls to mind optimism, youth revolt, the promise of an incipient globalisation and the idea of “one world”. One lesson, then, is that for a decade to have a distinct spirit, it must coincide with a reality that can be clearly and truthfully described.