It Is Not Easy To

The Hope For The Twentieth Century Rests On Recognition That War And Depression Are Man-made, And Needless. They Can Be Avoided In The Future By Turning From The Nineteenth-century Characteristics Just Mentioned (materialism, Selfishness, False Values, Hypocrisy, And Secret Vices) And Going Back To Other Characteristics That Our Western Society Has Always Regarded As Virtues: Generosity, Compassion, Cooperation, Rationality, And Foresight, And Finding A Increased Role In Human Life For Love, Spirituality, Charity, And Self Discipline.

Inflation, Especially A Slow Steady Rise In Prices, Encourages Producers, Because It Means That They Can Commit Themselves To Costs Of Production On One Price Level And Then, Later, Offer The Finished Product For Sale At A Somewhat Higher Price Level. This Situation Encourages Production Because It Gives Confidence Of An Almost Certain Profit Margin.

No Scientist Ever Believes That He Has The Final Answer Or The Ultimate Truth On Anything.

The Process By Which Civilization, As An Abstract Entity Distinct From The Societies In Which It Is Embodied, Dies Or Is Reborn Is A Very Significant One.

Western Civilization Presents One Of The Most Difficult Tasks For Historical Analysis, Because It Is Not Yet Finished, Because We Are A Part Of It And Lack Perspective, And Because It Presents Considerable Variation From Our Pattern Of Historical Change.