Thread: Reapeating History

"Richness of apparel may proclaim the man of fortune, and elegance the man of taste; but true health and manliness are known by different signs. It is under the homespun of the labourer, and not beneath the gilt and tinsel of the courtier, that we should look for strength and vigour of body."




Before art had moulded our behaviour, and taught our passions to speak an artificial language, our morals were rude but natural; and the different ways in which we behaved proclaimed at the first glance the difference of our dispositions. Human nature was not at bottom better then than now; but men found their security in the ease with which they could see through one another, and this advantage, of which we no longer feel the value, prevented their having many vices."



"We no longer dare seem what we really are, but lie under a perpetual restraint; in the meantime the herd of men, which we call society, all act under the same circumstances exactly alike, unless very particular and powerful motives prevent them. Thus we never know with whom we have to deal; and even to know our friends we must wait for some critical and pressing occasion; that is, till it is too late; for it is on those very occasions that such knowledge is of use to us."


....Sound Familiar......Gentlemen?

Originally Posted by honedright

In all three cases, if I understand him correctly, he is saying that as the arts and sciences of these three civilizations increased, their virtues decreased. And in all three cases, with the loss of virtue, all civilizations fell.
Discussion?

Hmmm, sounds like something from the Unibomber Manifesto.

Originally Posted by matt321

Hmmm, sounds like something from the Unibomber Manifesto.

Really....

Well, maybe he read Rousseau too. ????