Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Idée d’jour

A visitor from Mars could easily pick out the civilized nations. They have the best implements of war.
— Herbert V. Prochnow, banker (1897-1998)
I question the use of "civilized" in this statement. Humans being territorial beasts, war may be more or less inevitable. But I doubt many (especially that hypothetical visitor from Mars) would call it "civilized."

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