The Civilization Molecule

Vercingetorix surrenders to Julius Caesar

Consider the civilized and the barbaric. There are many differences between the two. The civilized enjoy the benefits of rule of law, while barbarians tend toward tyranny. Civilizations usher in technological advancement while barbarians are technologically static, if not regressive. Civilizations have the potential for enlightenment, barbarians usually don’t have words so large as ‘enlightenment.’ But I believe there is one difference that explains all the others, one molecular component of culture that spells the difference between societal advance and decay.

Read Better Books

Books are generally a waste of time. Most books are not worth the paper they are printed on, and I have actually burned quite a few books in my day. One time I was in a remote part of the Outback, and I needed fuel for the water heater so that I could take a hot shower. A book happened to be the most readily available fuel source for this task, and it was some random piece of trash that I had already read, so up in smoke it went. I don’t tell that story very often, even though I did the right thing. I had a warm shower that morning, which is a lot more benefit than I ever got from reading that stupid book.