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What makes a world civilised?


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You can tell how civilised a country is by:

 

a) the way it treats it's elderly

b) the way it treats animals

c) whether they believe in capital punishment

d) whether they allow other people the freedom to practice their religion

e) the way they treat their children

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The traditional European definition of being ‘civilised’ would look, for instance, at whether people wore clothes, believed in Jesus, could speak a European language, had a fixed abode and could read and write. That was where missionaries came in.

 

The irony of this is that in Europe, once the spreader of so-called civilisation, it has become acceptable to be a naturist, atheist, speaker of Klingon, nomad and illiterate. Or at least, not much umbrage is taken at it. That means that civilisation has shifted meaning towards more abstract concepts. What are they? I don’t know. Perhaps it has become a buzzword which designates recognisable things in foreign places.

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You can tell how civilised a country is by:

 

a) the way it treats it's elderly

b) the way it treats animals

c) whether they believe in capital punishment

d) whether they allow other people the freedom to practice their religion

e) the way they treat their children

 

THAT ^^ is why the forum needs a "like" button! :D

 

The traditional European definition of being ‘civilised’ would look, for instance, at whether people wore clothes, believed in Jesus, could speak a European language, had a fixed abode and could read and write. That was where missionaries came in.

 

The irony of this is that in Europe, once the spreader of so-called civilisation, it has become acceptable to be a naturist, atheist, speaker of Klingon, nomad and illiterate. Or at least, not much umbrage is taken at it. That means that civilisation has shifted meaning towards more abstract concepts. What are they? I don’t know. Perhaps it has become a buzzword which designates recognisable things in foreign places.

 

true, eccentric. however, many civilisations were pootling along, managing quite nicely, thank you, before Europe came along and imposed the European brand of civilisation on them. (think Maya/inca... think african tribal societies...)

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You can tell a civilised country by:

 

Its willingness to let private financiers bankroll it.

Its wholesale support of Western values.

Its Christian morals.

Its biased media.

Its healthy arms trade.

 

There's no iron curtain locking you in. China awaits you with its unbiased media.

 

Is there such a thing as unbiased media or is it another utopia the permanently angry delude themselves about?

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true, eccentric. however, many civilisations were pootling along, managing quite nicely, thank you, before Europe came along and imposed the European brand of civilisation on them. (think Maya/inca... think african tribal societies...)

 

Now, pray do not misconstrue me, Plain. I merely gave a laconic observation, not an endorsement. I am the last person to advocate European ‘civilised’ proselytism. I myself am a wanderer, speaker of obscure tongues and blasphemous heretic just for the fun of it, and, rather than posturing as a shirt-and-tie man, I would never wear anything at all if it were acceptable in public places.

 

I grew up in lush, laid-back Belgium with its garish Brussels monuments and palaces. Few are the people who know that all this wealth rests on the corpses of roughly ten million Congolese blackamoors. Especially on their hands, which king Leopold II delighted in chopping off.

 

There really should be a sarcasm button on this forum.

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What do we mean when we say “ we live in a civilised world!?”, or what do we mean when we say life in country X is bad because that country in uncivilised?

What makes a world civilised and another uncivilised? :mad:

 

Opinions, whether something is civilized or not is subjective.

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