in which our heroes parley with their civilised four-legged friends An academic philosopher has been cancelled for stating that civilisation is for everyone. The idea of 'civilisation' has become very sensitive for those who fear that they are not regarded by others as sufficiently civilised. They suspect that others regard them as uncivilised. Oh dear. Soon 'civilisation' will join the list of banned words, along with 'nature', 'humanity', 'reason', 'rationality', 'logic' and 'debate'. All these banned ideas are linked. To be civilised is to participate in society based on reasonable interactions with others. If we denounce reason and rationality, and resort instead to mob rule, cancelling those with whom we disagree, trying to get them fired, then we denounce civilisation. Reason, rationality and civilisation are considered embarrassing because of the preponderance of white men who write about these liberal ideals. Given that white men are evil (do keep up) it follows that reason and rationality, their pet themes, must be evil too. This reasoning is back to front, evaluating ideas purely by the racial or gender identity of their proponents. Start with the idea, not the identity of the speaker. If rationality appeals to you, embrace it. We all think with our brains, not with our gender or our history or the colour of our skin. It follows that we can all be reasonable. We can all read David Hume and discover for ourselves what all the fuss is about. Hume's Essays Moral, Political, and Literary are available for pennies on the internet or in a public library near you. The cancel mob want David Hume's name to be erased because he uttered hate-speech at his dinner table, in breach of Scotland's new hate-speech legislation:
Well, that wasn't very polite of Hume was it. Should get into my Tardis and hunt him down, wash his mouth out with soap. It's not very nice if people think you are unintelligent or uncivilised, but you must persuade them otherwise through reason and through the conduct of your own life not by rioting, hurling missiles, and trying to get everyone cancelled. Paradoxically, the more you abandon reason for madness, the more people may be tempted to think Hume was right. And you can't control what people think, even if you cancel them and lock them up and throw away the key. It seems scary to live in a world where people are free to think whatever they want about you, and there's nothing you can do about it! But that's humanity, and freedom, and it's a thing of true beauty when you realise you are free to ignore people you disagree with if you want to. Learn to live, and let live. The real threat comes from the intolerant, who wish to sanitise the world so that the only words ever spoken are words of which they approve. But it is futile to resort to reason, in attempting to persuade people who have denounced reason itself as evil and who regard 'persuasion' as an affectation of privileged white males. Why try to persuade others, when social engineering can be achieved much quicker through rabble rousing and mass riots, doing a bit of looting, a bit of hacking and burning, getting a few people fired along the way, just to make it more fun. Those who care nothing for reason will care even less that their reasoning is back to front. They are on the warpath, and in no mood to be persuaded about anything. They want their 'rights' and they want them now. Working to advance their position would take too long, maybe their lifetime, maybe entire generations of lifetimes, and who wants to wait, when they can man the barricades right now? Patience and sacrifice are for mugs.
Paradoxically, the more urgent the fight for 'justice' becomes, the more its activists abandon reason for madness. They become increasingly irrational, people begin to laugh at them, and so they worry that other people think them ridiculous and uncivilised. It's a downward spiral. The more they fret about their reputation the more they resort to behaving in an uncivilised manner. Fighting instead of talking. Whining instead of learning. Shouting instead of listening. Trying to get others silenced so that they won't have to face any criticism or disagreement. Civilisation is based on reasonable dialogue and the free choice to behave like a grownup rather than a tantruming toddler. It has nothing to do with race or culture. Civilisation arises from the very simple facts of human interaction, cooperation and exchange.
Civilisation reflects man's innate desire to achieve, to make progress, to live better, to do more. To be at peace with his fellow man by wishing only to live, and let live, and not to destroy. To be human, is to strive towards civilisation. In this age of environmentalism some people think that human beings are all wrong. Productivity is evil, economies should grind to a halt, and technological progress should be banned. We should all live like noble animals, so as not to steal St Greta's childhood. We should emulate the beasts of the field, and the birds of the air. You don't see foxes installing central heating and air conditioning into their holes, or badgers installing plumbing into their setts, or cows firing up the barbecue. These innocent animals show us the way to live in the New Normal. It is true that civilisation is the outcome of people who believe that being human is pretty cool and who therefore take pride in being human. That's an essential starting point. There will never be any ideological agreement between those who believe that it sucks to be human, and those who are striving to live the best life humanly possible in the time given to them on this beautiful earth.
It is true also that civilisations rise and fall, and many people think we will soon see the fall of western civilisation. Obviously some people believe that it would be brilliant to see this civilisation fall, due to all the slavers and colonisers from long ago, so we can build back better. We could live like the good people of the innocent Middle Ages, before warfare and modern technology were invented. Get rid of all the guilty white men too, so we can do social justice better.
Perhaps it is an act of self-destruction, when our own academic institutions regard David Hume as a symbol of evil, and the idea of civilisation as the worst form of insult. But in the end, the greatest strength of western civilisation lies not in this or that white man who was rich or famous, or had friends who were slavers, or wrote bad words about other races in his private correspondence shame on him. The strength of western civilisation lies in the idea of liberty, cooperation, free trade, keeping the peace, the whole peace and nothing but the peace. As long as there remains a taste for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, there is hope.
Without wanting to sound like one of those conspiracy theorists, I'm growing more concerned about the ever increasing state intrusion into our daily lives. The past 12 months have been an eye-opener. I can't help but wonder if in future, civilisation, and the joys this world has to offer, are only for a tiny minority. On very TV and radio channel, we're bombarded by propaganda about how to "reduce carbon footprints" "become carbon neutral" (impossible when one is a carbon-based lifeform). Vaccine passports on smartphones for foreign travel and for accessing certain services in the UK. Expensive heat pumps being pushed to replace gas boilers. Driverless cars and electric cars being heavily pushed. More taxes proposed for flights, meat and dairy consumption. And even a scientist saying that owning pets needs to end because it's bad for the planet. We're made to feel guilty for just about everything - enjoying our heritage, a bacon sarnie, wanting to socialise and wanting to explore. I find it all very depressing myself. How long before regular "climate lockdowns" are brought in? We've already seen severe curbs on freedom of speech and travel bans in the past year. I'm all for looking after the planet r.e recycling and all - but within reason. Because if we can't enjoy anything at all in life, what is the point in even living? Are we all being herded towards a future of digital and climate slavery?
Wanjiru Njoya
1/5/2021 03:32:19 pm
Yes, that is the goal of socialism. Enslavement. The idea is that once you get used to being locked-down and mired in poverty, you will come to enjoy it because it shows that you've achieved the state of being virtuous. Welcome to the new religion! Same as the old religion, but with new flags and stripes!
Susannah
26/1/2022 12:37:25 pm
I have some questions for you.. You describe the people who appreciate civilisation & rationality, vs those who are given to madness. Are all nonviolent protesters, in your mind, given to madness? Nonviolence encompasses quite a lot of behaviour, of course. But I refer to both legal protests & civil disobedience. Comments are closed.
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