The collective consciousness of mankind defines the existence and sustainability of this civilization.
What was civilization ever, really, but the attempt by man to talk himself into being good?
The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy
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What was civilization ever, really, but the attempt by man to talk himself into being good?
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Morality does not come to this mortal world from some imaginary paradise. It rises from the neurons of mortal humans.
Of the gladdest moments in human life, methinks, is the departure upon a distant journey into unknown lands. Shaking off with one mighty effort the fetters of Habit, the leaden weight of Routine, the cloak of many Cares and the slavery of Civilization, man feels once more happy.
A world compelled to good alone is as much a shrine to compulsion as a world compelled to evil only.The Twenty-first Voyage
The opportunity for evil in itself does not suffice; people need a rationale as well. Consider how unpleasant, how awkward it must be when your neighbor, catching his breath (and that can happen anytime), screams, 'Why?' - or, 'Aren't you ashamed?!' It's embarrassing to stand there without a ready answer. A crowbar makes a poor rebuttal, everybody senses that. The whole trick lies in having the proper grounds to brush aside such aggravating objections. Contemptuously. Everyone wants to commit a villainy without having to feel like a villain.
The most frightful of all spectacles is the strength of the civilization without its mercy.