Global Positioning Systems (GPS) use trilateration to
pinpoint something on a map. So what does this have to do with the tarnished
image of civilization? Well this “pinpointing” process reminds me of the
approach taken by John Armstrong in his book In Search of Civilization: Remaking a Tarnished Idea. Instead of satellites
in space, however, Armstrong uses ideas.
Armstrong’s project is to attempt a reasonable definition
of the idea of civilization. The concept of civilization has been badly mauled
by scholars and left empty of content as a guiding principle in our world
today. So we need a better one. This
task is harder than it seems. Armstrong’s approach is to look at civilization
from different angles—like holding a crystal up to the light. Every chapter in
this little book (it is 196 pages) is an effort to tilt the crystal slightly and
tease out more of its detail.
Each chapter plays with some aspect of the idea of
civilization. I’m using the word “play” in this context because that is the impression
I have from reading each chapter. The ideas are developed organically, almost
haphazardly as you sojourn through the pages. Haphazard may be too strong a
term. I don’t want to mislead anyone. Armstrong does have a plan and the book
progresses from more ancient understandings of civilization to newer ones. Yet
the details he picks out are novel and the connections he makes between ideas
are not ones you would normally think to link. The exercise is illuminating. Armstrong
examines the leisure time of influential Romans, he spends time in Moore’s
Utopia, he ponders Mona Lisa’s sexy smile, and he converses with Freud and
others. This isn’t dry bones systematic lecturing but more like coffee time on
a comfy chair thumbing through a photo album of western civilization’s
picture-ideas.
The conclusion? Armstrong suggests you have civilization
when a high degree of material prosperity and a high degree of spiritual
prosperity come together in mutual enhancement. His book makes a solid case
for the efficacy of this definition. Political leaders (actually anyone with a
stake in building our society) should take note.
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