Reclaiming Civilization: A Case for Optimism for the Future of Humanity

by Brendan Myers

Overview

What is civilization, and is it a good thing? It's a name for the most glorious of humanity's monuments and cultural achievements; yet it also speaks of the conquests, oppressions, and empires which make their glory possible. This book explains the essence of civilization, then asks what's wrong with it, and considers what can be done about it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785355653
Publisher:	Collective Ink
Publication date:	08/25/2017
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Brendan Cathbad Myers is the author of sixteen books in philosophy, environmental ethics, history of ideas, spirituality, urban fantasy fiction, and game design. Brendan is professor of philosophy at CEGEP Heritage College, Gatineau. He lives in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada.

Table of Contents

Preface, Acknowledgements, and Dedication 1

Overture: A Meditation Upon a Lake 4

§ 1 Why Should I Return to the City? 4

§ 2 How Deep do the Absurdities Go? 7

§ 3 What Questions to Ask? 19

First Movement: What is Civilization? 22

§ 4 Some Academic Views 22

§ 5 The Big Picture: Cities and Monuments 35

§ 6 The Small Picture: Etiquette, Manners, and Excellence 38

§ 7 The First House 43

§ 8 The Ancient Great Wall 49

§ 9 Thinking Shall Replace Killing 59

§ 10 Walls and Circles 69

§ 11 Plans for the Rational City 73

§ 12 Dreams of the Celestial City 79

§ 13 Tales of the State of Nature 86

§ 14 Civilization Without Cities 98

§ 15 Gathering the Fragments 106

§ 16 The Essence of Civilization 108

An Interlude 117

§ 17 Far From the City, and Far From Home 117

§ 18 Prague and Empire 121

§ 19 Three Temples, Three Shrines 125

Second Movement: What's Wrong With Civilization? 129

§ 20 Models of the Civilized Man 129

§ 21 A Thought Experiment 140

§ 22 Facing the People 144

§ 23 Facing the Earth and Sky 150

§ 24 Facing the Darkness 160

§ 25 Planting the Fields 167

§ 26 Crowning the King 176

§ 27 Building the Wall 181

§ 28 The Illusion that Exalts Us 183

§ 29 Two Views of the Noble Lie 191

§ 30 Rationality And Despair 199

§ 31 The Illusion of No Alternative 205

Another Interlude 216

§ 32 Pastoralia 216

§ 33 New Horizons 222

§ 34 This is What Love Looks Like 226

Third Movement: What Shall We Do About It? 234

§ 35 Dance Macabre 234

§ 36 Progressive Negations 240

§ 37 Pacing the Immensities 249

§ 38 Songs from the Wood 253

§ 39 Responding to the Immensities 265

§ 40 The Deliberate Civilization 273

End Notes 287

Editorial Reviews

Brendan Myers is that rarest of creatures, a philosopher who writes in a style that is eminently readable, refreshingly jargon-free, not remotely patronising and, what's more, genuinely engaging. Rather than a dry, academic text, reading this gives one the feeling of sitting with the author in a warm room, probably with a glass of wine or a decent pint of real ale, and listening to him expound his ideas with pleasure and enthusiasm. In this case, those ideas are all about civilisation, asking what it is, if it is a good thing, and how we can make it better. Given the daily dose of depression drip-fed to us on every news bulletin, these are perhaps the most pressing questions of our age. In seeking to answer them, Myers demonstrates a remarkable breadth of knowledge of prehistory, history, politics and philosophy, from the earliest stirrings of humanity to the present day. That he can analyse with such clarity the seemingly chaotic mess we as a species have got ourselves into is remarkable in itself. Even moreso is that he is able to untangle the chaos sufficiently to draw from it causes for optimism and a plan for the future that might just see us thrive rather than merely survive. Anyone running for political office should not be allowed to do so until they have read this book. If this were done, the world would undoubtedly be a better, safer, saner place.

Philip Shallcrass

This is a very interesting discussion of one of the central issues of the current world, and indeed of all history, which puts under scrutiny a number of common assumptions which are seldom examined.

Ronald Hutton