Friday, November 23, 2012
A New Model of the Universe.
(4)
The first quote is from P D Ouspensky's, A New Model of the Universe, chapter one, Esotericism and Modern Thought:
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'Culture strives to establish a boundary between itself and barbarism. The manifestations of barbarism are called 'crimes.' But existing criminology is insufficient to isolate barbarism. It is insufficient because the idea of 'crime' in existing criminology is artificial, for what is called 'crime' is really an infringement of 'existing laws,' whereas laws are very often a manifestation of barbarism and violence. Such are the prohibiting laws of different kinds which abound in modern life. The number of these laws is constantly growing in all countries and, owing to this, what is called 'crime' is very often not a crime at all, for it contains no element of violence or harm. On the other hand, unquestionable crimes escape the field of vision of criminology, either because they have not the recognized form of crime or because they surpass a certain scale...
The culture of barbarism grows simultaneously with the culture of civilization. But the important point is that the two cannot develop on parallel lines indefinitely. The moment must inevitably arrive when the culture of barbarism arrests the development of civilization and gradually, or possibly very swiftly, completely destroys it.'
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The above was quoted from pages 37-38 of my paperback version. The quoted passage is appropriate to our current historical situation where obvious crimes go un-punished (Wall Street, Citizens United, and routine infant sexual mutilation, for example), and obvious non-crimes (Smoking weed, for example), are punished. There is much ado nowadays concerning the approaching 'fiscal cliff.' But Is America poised at the edge of an invisible cultural cliff?
I report. You decide. Sip.
The first quote is from P D Ouspensky's, A New Model of the Universe, chapter one, Esotericism and Modern Thought:
----------
'Culture strives to establish a boundary between itself and barbarism. The manifestations of barbarism are called 'crimes.' But existing criminology is insufficient to isolate barbarism. It is insufficient because the idea of 'crime' in existing criminology is artificial, for what is called 'crime' is really an infringement of 'existing laws,' whereas laws are very often a manifestation of barbarism and violence. Such are the prohibiting laws of different kinds which abound in modern life. The number of these laws is constantly growing in all countries and, owing to this, what is called 'crime' is very often not a crime at all, for it contains no element of violence or harm. On the other hand, unquestionable crimes escape the field of vision of criminology, either because they have not the recognized form of crime or because they surpass a certain scale...
The culture of barbarism grows simultaneously with the culture of civilization. But the important point is that the two cannot develop on parallel lines indefinitely. The moment must inevitably arrive when the culture of barbarism arrests the development of civilization and gradually, or possibly very swiftly, completely destroys it.'
----------
The above was quoted from pages 37-38 of my paperback version. The quoted passage is appropriate to our current historical situation where obvious crimes go un-punished (Wall Street, Citizens United, and routine infant sexual mutilation, for example), and obvious non-crimes (Smoking weed, for example), are punished. There is much ado nowadays concerning the approaching 'fiscal cliff.' But Is America poised at the edge of an invisible cultural cliff?
I report. You decide. Sip.
