The Ninth Street Center The Monographs

The Nature of Civilization
A Psychological Analysis [1977]
by Paul Rosenfels

Paul describes the work that remains for the development of a unified science of human understanding in the civilized world. Civilization is seen as the result of creative thought and action which produces truth and right. Creative living is contrasted with other aspects of daily life, including: adaptive, aesthetic, and sexual and celebrative experience. The effect on the civilizing process of society's decision to prohibit homosexuality is discussed.

Opening passage:

      The real question in thinking about the nature of civilization pertains to the issue of improving the quality of man's interpersonal relationships. Will an expansion of the scientific base of human understanding make any difference in the way people live? Time and time again society has been offered new insights into how to live better lives. These offerings come from philosophers, religious teachers, and political leaders. Within the last century their numbers have been joined by professional and academic minds, purporting to apply scientific tradition to psychological matters. Within the limited world these would-be truth seekers operate, they offer society relief from the struggle with the unknown. If one consents to live in a small enough psychological world, their hold on human insights develops a momentarily convincing clarity. They ask others to become true believers and thus receive the rewards of knowing with certitude what is true instead of being required to bear the stress of searching for what is true. As this process goes forward, schools of dogma develop which prove very useful to many people in reducing inner stress. Because their beliefs make them feel better for the time being, it is easy for them to believe that they are in the presence of objective truth. . . .

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