In the midst of the debate surrounding the notion of civilization - let's just think of the noise caused by Michel Onfray's latest book, Decadence - one aspect seems to have been overlooked: the value of civility. In addition to the obvious etymological link between civilization and civility, these two notions have a much deeper relationship than just their name: one can't seem to function without the other, and vice versa. I would even go so far as to say that, while civilization is of course the bearer of civility, civility is also a prerequisite for civilization. sine qua non civilization.
Many authors define in their own way the structuring element that took human beings from the state of nature to the state of society. I particularly like Okakura Kakuzô's version: «By offering the first garland of flowers to his companion, primitive man transcended the brute. By this gesture, which raised him above the crude necessities of nature, he became human.» In short, humanity was born with (and in) art.
From art to civility
But perhaps we can already glimpse in this quotation the idea that civility has an important place in the advent of civilized Man. Indeed, a gesture of love from man to woman is part of a more global conception of the human being: we are not on Earth to undertake everything in order to destroy our adversaries. The law of the strongest is not our law; there is a higher right that must be obtained through reason. And probably no other species in the world has this opportunity.
An opportunity, to be sure, but one that human beings have been able to seize and develop over the ages: eager to perfect the norms governing peace between individuals, Man has placed them not only in the explicit realm of law, but also in the implicit realm of small, everyday gestures. This social code that we have obliged ourselves to respect, we can call «civility». «Civility» in the broadest sense, including politeness, gallantry, honesty and so on.
From civility to civilization
In the gentle times when these values are accepted and applied by the majority of members of a group of societies, we then find ourselves in a civilization. So, if we wish to escape the decline presented to us by many of today's thinkers, or if we feel that this fall is irreversible, but we still wish to go down with dignity, perhaps we would do well to demonstrate greater civility in our human relations.
Let's be cordial, let's not take everything for granted, let's not make too much noise on the trains, and everything will be much better.
Write to the author : jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © arcturius.org
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