04-19-2004, 02:59 PM
Well, I never expected to add so much new life to this debate. I certainly didn't expect to be called (by someone who doesn't know me) unhelpful, unprofessional, and ridiculous--and all in a single posting. I wonder if that sort of language and those sorts of <em>ad hominem</em> attacks qualify as "barbaric." I was saddened that these words came from a member of the American military, to whom I dedicated my recent novel. Ironically, I deplored the politicizing of archaeology, and I was presented with a response suffused with political correctness and moral relativism. Just a few brief points:<br>
<br>
"Still, we must be more responsible when we study the past, and as painful as it is for me to say this, we must be careful not to make value judgments about past civilizations."<br>
<br>
Frankly, this is astounding. Should we create a time capsule and leave a note admonishing people a thousand years from now not to make value judgments about Nazi "civilization"? The moral nihilism explicit in the above quote could come straight from the BBC or <em>The Guardian</em>. <em>Of course</em> we should make value judgments. It's what separates us from the lower primates. If the day comes when we no longer make value judgments, civilization has ended.<br>
<br>
All cultures are not equal, then or now. To claim they are is to create an atmosphere in which barbarism thrives. Abetted by the spiritual comfort given it by various politicians, academics, and journalists, barbarism is thriving in many parts of the world even as I write this. It's interesting to note that for all of his copious literary lauds of uncivilized people, Tacitus never chose to live among them. The late Kenneth Clark was intrigued by people like Tacitus who chose to extol the virtues of barbarism. Clark's bemused response to these people was that they could indulge in this fantasy because they had never really given it a try.<br>
<br>
Bill Altimari<br>
author of <em>Legion: A Novel of the Army of Rome</em> <p></p><i></i>
<br>
"Still, we must be more responsible when we study the past, and as painful as it is for me to say this, we must be careful not to make value judgments about past civilizations."<br>
<br>
Frankly, this is astounding. Should we create a time capsule and leave a note admonishing people a thousand years from now not to make value judgments about Nazi "civilization"? The moral nihilism explicit in the above quote could come straight from the BBC or <em>The Guardian</em>. <em>Of course</em> we should make value judgments. It's what separates us from the lower primates. If the day comes when we no longer make value judgments, civilization has ended.<br>
<br>
All cultures are not equal, then or now. To claim they are is to create an atmosphere in which barbarism thrives. Abetted by the spiritual comfort given it by various politicians, academics, and journalists, barbarism is thriving in many parts of the world even as I write this. It's interesting to note that for all of his copious literary lauds of uncivilized people, Tacitus never chose to live among them. The late Kenneth Clark was intrigued by people like Tacitus who chose to extol the virtues of barbarism. Clark's bemused response to these people was that they could indulge in this fantasy because they had never really given it a try.<br>
<br>
Bill Altimari<br>
author of <em>Legion: A Novel of the Army of Rome</em> <p></p><i></i>
