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What is Civilisation?

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Stormblessed:
The book I'm writing at the moment is based around the philosophical idea of: What is civilisation? What is the difference between a civilised man and a barbarian? Or even between man and animal (barbarians are often seen as animals)?

I just want to get people's views on the topic. I'm dealing with some issues here like religion, law and order. I want to create a society that believes they're civilised, but may just not be as civilised as they believe. Hopefully this discussion will help me create some ideas.

Thx!!  :)

Meanas:
You should take a look at Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, if you haven't already. He does tend to rant on about how civilisation is a never-ending cycle of rise and fall, and how everything comes to an end, empires swallowed in apathy, and so on, but he does have some very good ideas on barbarism, especially in Midnight Tides and Reapers Gale.

Religion is also a bit of a focus, but I won't ruin the stories if you haven't read them.

daranthered:
Everything I know about civilisation I learned from "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," by Edward Gibbon.

Will Durant's working version is a much quicker read, however;

http://www.willdurant.com/civilization.htm

Juan Dolor:
civilization means:

ice water
flush toilets
air conditioning
broadband wireless
cheese slicers

Stormblessed:
Thanks a lot. My story's stalled a bit, so hopefully this will bring some inspiration.

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