A collaborative search for wisdom, at Middle Tennessee State University and beyond... "The pluralistic form takes for me a stronger hold on reality than any other philosophy I know of, being essentially a social philosophy, a philosophy of 'co'"-William James
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Civilization and Humanity
Although civilization has etched a positive impression upon the modern world (and indeed it might not be modern without it), I believe that we are not, however, better off in absolutely every aspect. The sands of time, coupled with the remarkable intelligence of the human race has led us, as a species, to progress at a rapid and accelerating rate, but nevertheless it has also led to become civilized. While much of our progression has led to the betterment of humanity, civilization has not come without a price. The societal faults constantly taken for granted can be placed mainly upon the shoulders of civilization. Such faults include stereotypes, social classes, government acts of despotism, trends, racism and other similar imperfections which have arose over our history due to causality and the will of the majority which has led to the suffering of the minority. I say society because without civilization, society would not exist and it is society that shows us the price paid in blood, which has brought many to their knees - weighted by such injustice.
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(H3) You say society is the price of civilization. Consider this though. The most basic level of social organizations, the one in which we aren't just random individuals living alone and is the default level of human organization is the family unit. This creates society. In it you have a hierarchy that is usually dominated by the father and the other males of the group. it does not interact with other family groups to a great level and is isolated, primitive, and very much subject to animals, the elements, or predation by stronger units. Next is band level, where you have similar dynamics among a larger collection of many family units. The lowest you can go without reaching true civilization is the tribal level. Here you have a stagnant and potential oppressive hierarchy and the potential for much larger and more deadly conflict that is basically organized. Modern society is the product of modern civilization. It has all the same elements of non civilized organizations but on an appropriately larger and more sophisticated scale.
ReplyDelete^I agree with +Bryce B.
ReplyDeleteThe price of Civilization, society, is the price of general existence. Unlike many of my peers and fellow same-aged intellectuals, I enjoy living in a bubble as long as it is a transparent one.