| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 12:56:42 PM | We Brits seem to take a great delight in complaining about the faults we perceive in our society and in our fellow countrymen and women. Some of the answers on previous threads; about manners, respect, justice, even fee-charging ATMs; have given me reason to think about society in more depth and I would like to ask the forum:
What, in your opinion (i.e. no dictionary definitions, please!), are the characteristics a society should display to be truly called civilised?
In your opinion, can Britain be called a civilised society? | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 1:44:23 PM | are the characteristics a society should display to be truly called civilised?
Deep thought for this time of an evening..
I can certainly think of one (or three) although there would be more (or not??)
Tolerance, Respect & Acceptance of the others in society regardless of race, creed, culture, religion or lifestyle.
I don't just mean in the ways of law or constitution but I mean by every person truly and unequivocally.
In your opinion, can Britain be called a civilised society?
By the requirement I state above, no. By comparison to others in this world we are more civilised than some. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 1:51:11 PM | The right to speak out without facing punishment. Freedom of movement. Tolerance.
Lack of discrimination. Human rights.
Lack of physical cruelty towards other beings, including animals. The right to health care and education. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 1:53:02 PM | Isn't civilised society more about people wearing clothes, working and earning money to pay for food that we eat with fork and knives in our brick built homes?
By theses standards then yes we are, if you mean more in the way we act? we could definitely get a long and respect each other more and not be so selfish. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 1:53:50 PM | If you took what is common to all the religious teachings then you will find the core concepts on which humanity has been built and I would say, continues to constitute the basics of a civilised society:
Bible - Christianity
The 4 Vedas - Hindu
Holy Quran - Islam
Various texts - Buddism
Guru Granth Sahib - Sikhism
Before anyone shouts, am I saying;
We should all return to religion: No, I am not religious either.
We should all believe in some greater power: No, I don't believe in God either.
Nor am I saying they contain the whole answer for a 21st century society, but their common concepts do collectively define the basics of how we should treat each other in a civilised society. And that's far too much thinking for a Friday night, I'm off down the pub! | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 2:08:35 PM |
but their common concepts do collectively define the basics of how we should treat each other in a civilised society
What are these common concepts ? | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 2:28:27 PM | No i dont think britain is a civilised place any more .
No respect for others
No respect on differing views
No respect for others propety
No respect of the law
Need i go on , i respected my elders and betters , nostalger nar its a thing of the past lol . | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 2:31:37 PM | this thread is far to deep for me..
but,at this moment in time i`m glad my kids and myself live in this country,what we see around us(media wise)on the other side of the world,has no comparison,to our small part of the world.
ok...we may sometimes have no money,but if we play by the rules of our goverment,(no matter how crap, we sometimes think they are).we should never be hungry,and have some kind of roof over our head,our kids will never (small children)have to learn to handle guns and be in a army.
women have the right to have a input in this country...not classed as second classed citizens....
we have exelent health facilites,and are looked after..i could go on,but you know what i mean..
we/you are civillised,our country is civilliesd...i`m glad i live here..
good night  | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 3:11:02 PM | Compassion.
Respect for the rights and freedoms of others.
The concept of fairness.
A judicial system that allows a free and fair trial with no assumption of guilt.
A police force that is trusted and is worthy of that trust.
Freedom of Expression
Freedom of Association
Freedom to marry - or not
Oh, just read the HRA, that is what we should be aspiring to.
I don't think that we are 100% there yet. If we were, I wouldn't have been stuck in traffic in Codnor for hours last weekend, for if we were truly civilised there would have been nothing there to cause the hold-ups. I do believe that we are in the leading pack, however and we are streets ahead of the States and any other country who fry their criminals. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 3:11:40 PM | Msg 2
\\Tolerance, Respect & Acceptance of the others in society regardless of race, creed, culture, religion or lifestyle.\\
Does that extend to things that go against your principals, an example for myself is countries where men by their religion say it's ok to beat your wife?
There is no reason for one society to accept all of aspects of another society where those aspects are unacceptable. Such aspects are subjective, I think any man that beats his wife is an animal that I'm sure the Saudi's wouldn't agree with me, just as I don't agree with their appraisal of how women in the West should dress.
Msg 5... \\We should all return to religion\\
Are you being serious? Why do we need to religion to be civilised to each other?
The lesson that relgion has taught us thus far is how to be uncivilised to each other, and having spend the last 2000 years relegating one desert dogma to matter of personal faith, we now find ourselves in this the age of enlightenment, being taken back to the middle ages by the followers of another aspiring desert dogma.
As a nation Britain is civilised, we have universal healthcare and education, we provide for those in need, we abolished slavery by act or parliament, we provide sacntuary for those fleeing persecution, and by head of population we are the second largest donator of international aid after the USA. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 5:24:52 PM |
What are these common concepts ?
Well for Christianity there are the ten comandments - ok, some of them are outdated and probably not applicable today but the same basic values can be found in all religions, just different words are used.
Religion has shaped our laws and values for hundreds of years, as it has other civilisations, don't agree with everything religion has to say today by a long way, but the core values of society and how we should live together are derived from these and some of the principles are still as relevant today as they were a few hundred years ago.
They are just basic ways a society should act and live together and many have already been quoted in the previous posts.
"treat others how you wish to be treated yourself" would be one.
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 5:33:34 PM | How you define a civilised society might depend on your moral outlook. If you believe in some sort of faith or religion or that thing called karma you will more than likely have a different outlook to someone who didn't feel there would be any retribution for their thoughts and actions.....but it's waaaay to heavy for me to think about this time of night. How about a bit of sex, drugs and rock n' roll........I could do without being civilised since it's Friday thanks awfully.
VVVVVVVVV I suppose having a few glasses of wine doesn't help one being civilised does it? An aye for an eye! lol Pauline. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 5:46:46 PM | If you believe in some sort of faith or religion you will more than likely have a different outlook
I don't agree. I'm certainly not religious but hopefully I share the same values as most Christians and indeed other faiths. I don't need religion to tell me right from wrong, hopefully I learnt what is right from wrong - but those values do coincide and are probably to a large extent the same values of people who do follow some form of religion.
Thou shall not steal - one of the ten commandments, comes from the Bible, think we would all agree that's a basic rule for a civilised society - so I share that value with religious people be they Christian, Muslim, Sikhs, Buddist or Hindu even though I do not believe in their religion. And there are many similar values I share but I'm not religious.
It is probably religion that gave us that value in the first place as it was religion that originally determined many laws in many lands and in some , rightly or wrongly, still do. To deny religion and the way it has shaped our thoughts, even if like me you don't believe in it, is to deny our history as that's where most of our values have come from and is where we have got our ideas of what a civilised society should be.
I'm betting there's nothing anyone posts in this thread that they seriously believe defines a civilised society that can't be traced back to a passage in one or more likely, many religious documents. The values are there but I don't believe you have to believe in the stories that go with them to believe in the values themselves. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 6:38:15 PM |
I don't think that we are 100% there yet. If we were, I wouldn't have been stuck in traffic in Codnor for hours last weekend, for if we were truly civilised there would have been nothing there to cause the hold-ups. I do believe that we are in the leading pack, however and we are streets ahead of the States and any other country who fry their criminals.
I love what you wrote there msg 10, nice reference. I suppose it's progress when the government doesn't allow certain people entry to Britain when they know all they wish to do is incite hatred too.
I think a very important facet of a civilised society is education. Everyone should be entitled to a good education and encouraged from a young age to become informed. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 7:07:31 PM |
The right to speak out without facing punishment.
Kinda like freedom of speech mibbes?
Missed that one did I, was scanning for same not similar, ok I will second it then, and second this too;
I think a very important facet of a civilised society is education. Everyone should be entitled to a good education and encouraged from a young age to become informed.
No harm in some of the other stuff being repeated over and over too.
Anyone who thinks the UK is uncivilised in comparison should travel more.
IMHO | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/21/2009 8:13:13 PM | Msg: 16. Your selective quote:-
<div class='quote'>If you believe in some sort of faith or religion you will more than likely have a different outlook
missed off my words..............
....to someone who didn't feel there would be any retribution for their thoughts and actions.
The caveat being that you have to accept punishment if your moral code forces you to violate an existing law which constitutes living in a civilised society.
To me a civilised society is one that accepts people's individuality whilst acknowledging their differences, amongst other things. I would also like to see a justice system which doesn't allow politics or economics to preside over prisoner's sentences. I believe compassion is an important attribute to a civilised society as is tolerance but equally intolerance leading to violence towards society shouldn't be swept under the carpet, needs to be acknowledged and dealt with by educating and reform, where that's possible. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/22/2009 10:38:11 AM | I'd like to think that we are all equal in a civilised society but that individual rights are balanced by individual responsibilities, responsibilities to myself, to my neighbours, to society as a whole. A civilised society would respect individual ideas and enterprise but it will not play the successful off against those weaker and less fortunate. A civilised society will always try to offer people hope for the future and for future generations.
As a citizen living in a civilised society, I should feel confident in the integrity of the Government and should feel it is fair and trustworthy, I think on the whole our government tries to do right by us but I guess they are human too and will also fall down at times. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/22/2009 1:14:54 PM | | I say good chap, twould be nice for society to partake in a wee bit of tea and scrumpets every day for the rest of our lives. that would do society a jolly good number! and women should never wear sneakers with dresses, that's disgusting who started that? they say "oh it's more comfortable" who... gives a crap. you don't see me chopping off my balls to make myself more comfortable. | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/22/2009 1:48:18 PM | Civilised Society is all smoke and mirrors..... it's an illusion.... it doesn't exisit.... In my opinion and you may think it's completly daft, but I have put a lot of thought and observation of human nature into this very question over the years. And I believe that it is human beings way of denying the not so nice part of their nature.....
Society introduces rules..... rules that are suppose to stop us falling into chaos..... you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that..... that's all fine and well and for the most part they do actually work...... but human beings being what they are when those rules aren't enforced, will push the boundries further and further and further...... untill what? British Prisions are full of first second third time offenders.....
And not only that look at some of these computer games on the market, they are very popular..... oh not to mention very violent....
What makes us differnt from a lion.... a tiger..... a shark? ect...... We kill for the sake of it, where as they for the most part kill to survive.....
Civerlised Society..... if it helps people sleep at night to believe that we are civerlised then so what!!!!!!!!! | |
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| What Defines a Civilised Society?
Posted: 8/23/2009 12:52:32 AM | Most posters so far have touched on different aspects of the Human Rights Act as their definition of a civilised society: freedoms of liberty, expression, conscience, assembly, freedom from discrimination and fear.
I believe the HRA for an individual to be a taking piece of legislation – it is, after all, about rights. Far more important to me in considering “civilised” are individual responsibilities – i.e. giving.
To me, a civilised society is one where the HRA is unnecessary. It is one where, although some individual people within the society may be disfunctional in the responsibility they show, the society expects with reason that its members take individual and collective responsibilty for ensuring that the lives of others are free from unnecessary constraints.
Thus a civilised society ensures that the elderly, the poor, the disabled, the young have access to the things they need – healthcare, education, assistance in daily living – without complaint from those who are able to contribute to the society via financial means.
It is a society where justice is never administered for revenge but instead expedites education in living a life that contributes to the society, not takes from it.
For me a “civilised society” expects all people to be able to live their life as they wish, as long as they act in a way that doesn’t affect other people’s ability to live their life as they wish, it is a society where individuals take responsibility to ensure the well-being of the other members of that society.
I think it’s about empathy, and that’s a higher thought process, and I don’t believe that in Britain we show that ability in any great degree. If “I’m alright, Jack” is accepted as a reasonable attitude to take then we may consider ourself “civilised”, but we certainly don’t match up to my idea of a “civilised society”. | |
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