Following Is extracted from Merriam-Webster’s on line Dictionary.
civilized
adjective
: marked by well-organized laws and rules about how people behave with each other
: polite, reasonable, and respectful
: pleasant and comfortable
Full Definition of CIVILIZED
: characteristic of a state of civilization ; especially : characterized by taste, refinement, or restraint
See civilized defined for English-language learners »
Related to CIVILIZED
Synonyms
ACCOMPLISHED, CULTIVATED, COUTH, CULTURED, GENTEEL, POLISHED, REFINED
Antonyms
BARBARIC, BARBAROUS, PHILISTINE, UNCIVILIZED, UNCULTURED, UNGENTEEL, UNPOLISHED, UNREFINED
Restraint is the key word in the above definition. We humans have a number of forces combining to move us to action. There are the “animal instincts” inherent in our species, genetic pre-disposition passed down by our ancestors , cultural and familial habits handed down from generation to generation, and our individual brain chemistries and experiences over time. These forces lead us to act in our self- interest. Sometime this self-interest (Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”) aligns with the interest of society as a whole, but often it does not only, not align, but works in opposition to the general good. Over time as societies develop, these forces are brought more and more in line with the well-being of society, through individual restraint or those imposed by government, church, community or family.
Men have a natural urge to mate from early teens and women have the ability to bear children even younger. As we have developed, in the more advanced societies we have come to realize that early childbirth limits the potential of a woman, and so we have enacted laws to limit the age for consensual sex and in the West, custom has driven the marriage age for women to the late twenties. Another natural urge is polygamy but laws and customs have enforced monogamy. Slavery has been banned and cruelty is declining either by law or custom as we become more civilized, and our understanding of ourselves and the world around us increases, more and more individual instincts are suppressed and there is an ever increased dependence on one another.
In this country, countervailing forces have increasingly pushed back on advancing society and civilization while trying to shift the balance from societal good more to individual drives in the name of freedom. This push is coming from the Right and most strongly from the extreme religious Right. The effort to further increase the equality between the genders is seen as a threat to family structure. The right of women to decide whether to conceive or carry to birth is gradually being eroded state by state. The Right is against setting a minimum wage and some argue that nature within the free market should determine how much labor costs and how wealthy the wealthy and poor the poor. Furthermore, there are movements to totally deregulate the markets, leaving them unencumbered and the social good to chance. The right to carry firearms has been expanded and laws like Stand Your Ground (I have an image of a middle aged white guy with a big belly standing with his legs apart and arms crossed facing down punks, hoods and other scary people) are passed The right is trying to move us back to the “Wild West” days where not society, but each man is responsible for defending himself and his family. The religious fundamentalists are dismissing science and want our children to learn that the world was created in six days some six thousand years ago and politicians representing them are fighting any attempt to save the planet from manmade environmental catastrophes. Recently several states have even tried to legalize discrimination based on one’s religious beliefs.
The World is experiencing change at an ever increasing pace. These changes; social, political, technological and environmental are making heads spin. And as with any change, there are risks and people are frightened. Conservatives politicians are stoking the fears and are trying to, not only stem the tide of progress, but move back the clock of civilization. The danger of this move is that as we did a millennium ago, we will slip into a modern version of the “Dark Ages” with its chaos and cruelty. That having been said, I am optimistic. Though the Conservatives are taking advantage of our fears and ignorance, cooler heads will prevail and our societies will continue to progress and we will continue to become ever more civilized, relinquishing more and more of our base urges for the good of all those we share this Blue Planet with.
