The ex-president points out (see above) that many nations throughout history have trusted- falsely- in their level of civilisation to render them invincible; he asks why they believe that their society will, in the end, fare any better.
“Many clever men like you have trusted to civilisation. Many clever Babylonians, many clever Egyptians, many clever men at the end of Rome. Can you tell me, in a world that is flagrant with the failures of civilisation, what there is particularly immortal about yours?” The above quote is from G.K. Chesterton's 1904 novel The Napoleon of Notting Hill. The novel is set in an alternate reality London in the year 1984 (apparently George Orwell chose the name of his book 1984 from Chesterton's work). In this scene Auberon Quin, one of the protagonists, is having a conversation with two friends- Lambert and Barker- and Juan del Fuego, the former president of Nicaragua. He's the former president because, some time previously, Nicaragua was annexed by a larger nation state. Barker tells him that his country had to be absorbed into a larger whole in the interests of civilisation: "If I differ with the greatest respect from your Nicaraguan enthusiasm, it is not because a nation or ten nations were against you; it is because civilisation was against you. We moderns believe in a great cosmopolitan civilisation, one which shall include all the talents of all the absorbed peoples—" The ex-president points out (see above) that many nations throughout history have trusted- falsely- in their level of civilisation to render them invincible; he asks why they believe that their society will, in the end, fare any better. Related Posts:
Comments
|
About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
Fun SitesOdds & Ends |