Timewaster's Guide Archive
Local Authors => Writing Group => Topic started by: Stormblessed on October 10, 2010, 04:35:25 AM
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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!! :)
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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.
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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
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civilization means:
ice water
flush toilets
air conditioning
broadband wireless
cheese slicers
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Thanks a lot. My story's stalled a bit, so hopefully this will bring some inspiration.
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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.
I suppose what you're questioning here is what we mean by 'civilisation'? It's certainly more than just a technology level. I think you can basically either draw comparisons between the supposedly civilised and uncivilised cultures, or show that the 'civilised' society is fragile and could easily topple and revert, given the right pressures. Questions you might want to think about (bear in mind these are no doubt influenced by my own political, religious and philosophical leanings, etc):
-How do they treat their criminals/enemies? Is an eye for an eye fair or does it make the punisher no better than the criminal? Is executing a murderer intrinsically hypocritical?
-How does the civilisation function under stress? Does it fall apart if there's shortage of resources like food?
-Why are their rulers still ruling? What lends them authority? Fear? Respect? Trust? Were they born to the role, elected or 'chosen' in some other way?
-How do they treat their minorities? Women? The sick? Disabled?
-How open minded are they to other cultures? Do they try to enforce their own ideologies on them, where that might not be best for them? Are your 'barbarians' really barbarians, or do your 'civilised' group just see them that way because they're different to them?
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As for how the people treat their minorties, i would reccomend readinf Faith of the Fallen. Fiction, but it has incredible army action and the idea of the imperial order would do well to the contrast of people and their inferiors. Just sayin.