We talk of civilization as though it necessarily implied
improvement.
Civilization means the school and the library, but it also means
the prison and the poorhouse.
Two short stories illustrate different views of what we call
civilization:
Aristippus was a young Greek gentleman of large means, genuine
intellectual power, a sense of humor and a reputation as a
philosopher.
He was on his way to Corinth with a young lady named Lais, or
possibly he was coming from Corinth with her. Anyhow, he was
wrecked on the voyage. If you know anything about the reputation
of Lais, you know that the philosopher was badly employed, and
that the Greek gods doubtless wrecked his vessel to impress upon
his mind the importance of morality.
Thrown ashore on a barren stretch of sand, the philosopher was
very sad at first. He observed on the sand the remains of
certain geometrical drawings, and instantly exclaimed: "There is
help near. Here I see signs of thinking men, of civilization."
----
Voltaire tells of wrecked individuals thrown on a lonely coast,
and also much distressed and frightened.
They saw no geometrical tracings in the sand. But on a bleak
moor in the twilight they saw the black beams of a gibbet, and
below the cross-piece, swinging in the wind, they saw a human
skeleton with bony wrists and ankles chained together.
Prayerfully the wanderers dropped on their knees and exclaimed
with upturned eyes:
"Thank God, we have got back to civilization." ----
Thus, you see, there are varying signs of civilization. There is
a great gulf between the signs perceived by Aristippus--signs of
the mental activity which engages in geometrical
demonstrations--and Voltaire's sign of civilization--the brutal
execution of a brutal criminal. ----
Those accustomed to waste time in speculations that cannot bring
a financial return may be interested in the following application
of the sign of civilization which Aristippus immediately
recognized back in the days of two thousand years ago.
We know that some day the inhabitants on Mars or some other
planet will want to talk to us. They have doubtless been
studying us and consider us still too barbarous and primitive to
be worth talking to.
But when we become semi-civilized, in the cosmic sense of the
word, the older and wiser planets will get ready to open
communication with us.
How will they go about it? They are perhaps absolutely different
from us, in shape, in manner of thought, in every conceivable
way, including language, customs, and so on.
BUT GEOMETRICAL, MATHEMATICAL FACTS ARE THE SAME THROUGHOUT THE
UNIVERSE.
Will not the wise Martian who wants to speak to us and decides to
flash some message down here on our clouds, or on the surface of
the water, utilize the universality of geometrical truths in
order to make us understand that thinking beings are trying to
talk to us?
The sum of the angles of any triangle is equal to two right
angles.
That is true of every triangle, no matter what its shape, no
matter whether it be drawn on this earth or on the most distant
sun.
Therefore, when the Martian gentleman gets ready to talk to us he
need only repeatedly place before us two right angles followed by
a triangle, or a triangle followed by two right angles.
Instantly, like Aristippus, we can say there is civilization in
Mars, or wherever that sign comes from, or at least there is
organized thought. The mind that is flashing that sign knows
something about geometry.
Of course, we should also recognize "signs of civilization" if
the Martians should project upon our atmosphere a skeleton
hanging in chains. But it is to be hoped that the Martians have
got beyond that particular evidence of civilization.