To deal with the true causes of war one must begin by recognizing as of prime relevancy to the solution of the problem the familiar fact that civilization is a partial, incomplete, and, to a great extent, superficial modification of barbarism.
Interpretation
Civilization is merely an advanced form of human behavior that still contains underlying primitive instincts.
Elihu Root’s quote suggests that in order to truly address the root causes of war, one must understand that civilization is not fundamentally different from barbarism; rather, it is an alteration of it. He emphasizes that the complexities of human society can often mask deeper, inherent tendencies towards conflict and primal behavior, which must be acknowledged to find viable solutions to war.
In practice
During a lecture on international relations, one might use this quote to highlight the historical roots of conflict.
The methods of peace propaganda which aim at establishing peace doctrine by argument and by creating a feeling favorable to peace in general seem to fall short of reaching the springs of human action and of dealing with the causes of the conduct which they seek to modify.
It is not uncommon in modern times to see governments straining every nerve to keep the peace, and the people whom they represent, with patriotic enthusiasm and resentment over real or fancied wrongs, urging them forward to war.
You cannot slander human nature; it is worse than words can paint it.
"God does not give us more than we can handle," I am told but I wonder if God doesn't overestimate me just a little. Or perhaps, and this is likely, I underestimate God.
Living consciously is seeking to be aware of everything that bears on our interests, actions, values, purposes, and goals. It is the willingness to confront facts, pleasant or unpleasant. It is the desire to discover our mistakes and correct them . . . it is the quest to keep expanding our awareness and understanding, both of the world external to self and the world within.
If the Constitution is adopted (and it was) the Union will be in fact and in theory an association of States or a Confederacy.
The question of souls is old—we demand our bodies, now. We are tired of promises, god is deaf, and his church is our worst enemy.
The History of every major Galactic Civilization tends to pass through three distinct and recognizable phases, those of Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication, otherwise known as the How, Why, and Where phases. For instance, the first phase is characterized by the question 'How can we eat?' the second by the question 'Why do we eat?' and the third by the question 'Where shall we have lunch?
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