What is civilization?
I’m guessing you said something like it’s an advanced form of society that allows us to manage the complexity and interactions of mass human populations and to ensure collective survival.
An alternative question would be what’s the purpose of civilization? We celebrate it and the elements typical of it. Large cities with distinctive and monumental buildings, and easy communications between cities; specialized jobs rather than everyone just producing food; advanced technology; record keeping for short and long term purposes; and complex institutions to manage the people, including centralized government.
So, civilization has rewarded humankind with so much, but has it rewarded all humans equally? The wealthiest 10% have hoarded some 78% of global wealth, leaving the poorest 50% just 2% between them.
Perhaps that shouldn’t be a surprise. Roads, railroads and air travel may open up the chance to travel for those who can afford it, but these communications are essential to transport goods to different customers. And concentrating people in cities makes it easier and cheaper to use their labor. It also helps that some people specialize in specific tasks, allowing employers to save costs by not having everyone trained to do everything.
Advanced technology is great, with each of us carrying multiple high-powered computer devices everywhere we go. Technology isn’t built for the people, though, it’s built to make the wealthy wealthier. Just look at AI. It may be fun, but they’re throwing so much money at it because they believe it will be cheaper and more efficient than people. Still we can always use it to make memes about how we all got shafted and don’t have jobs or money anymore.
We don’t need record keeping to know if we’re hungry or not. But it’s an essential part of commerce, for the wealthy to be able to keep track of their vast wealth.
And equally essential for government to track the people and tax them on the low wages they earn generating vast wealth for the wealthy.
Civilization comes with fringe benefits for all of us, but it doesn’t operate for the benefit of all of us.
The reality is that all the aspects that seem key to forming a civilization are actually essential for a small minority of people to extract the maximum wealth from the maximum number of people. Even if that leaves them struggling to pay for food, housing and healthcare in the wealthiest country in the world.
The wealthiest 10% of Americans have hoarded 68.3% of all US wealth, leaving the poorest 50% struggling for the basics with a measly 2.5% of the wealth to share between them. With tens of millions of Americans reliant on the government and charity to afford enough food, housing and healthcare. And they say the opposite of civilization is barbarism.
Is civilization really civilized?
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