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Friday, June 18, 2021

The Natural State of Mankind: Barbarism

“Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph.” ~ Robert E. Howard in Beyond the Black River 

This is a good insight by Robert E. Howard. In the short term, a civilization dominated by intellectuals might score some victories, but barbarism always triumphs in the end. By barbarism, I mean the political and cultural forces that are ruthless, realistic, religious, passionate, energetic, ambitious, tradition-bound, and innovative. Barbarism does not entail mindless destruction. 

Some of the greatest acts of mindless destruction have been caused by the civilizations which were dominated by the intellectuals. The most recent examples are the empires of communism, nazism, and fascism in the twentieth century. Intellectualism leads to the collapse of civilizations by unleashing endless wars and civil wars.