Civilization and barbarism

Author: Luwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The book "Civilization and Barbarism" introduces how early Bolivian Indians ate honey, using something like a brush for shaving to pass it around—each person licked a bit and passed it to the next. In a bowl, there was a pile of mashed fruit; anyone who wanted to eat could scoop it up, take a few bites, and then throw it back into the bowl. Why bother asking if there was someone else's spit on it? The dining etiquette of Uganda in East Africa is considered the most refined among barbarians. Before and after meals, everyone had to wash their hands. However, there were no knives or forks—everyone gathered around a large pot, pinched a piece of food with their thumb, rolled it into a small ball, and sent it to their mouths. Drinking soup was particularly strict: it was important not to burn one's fingers and not to splash the soup around.
Early medicine was also quite interesting. The topics of doctoral theses at the Paris Medical College included:
① Is air more essential than food;
② Is clear water better than wine;
③ Should women suffering from love sickness be bled;
④ Is it beneficial to get drunk once a month;
⑤ Are beautiful women more productive;
⑥ Are women more lustful than men;
⑦ Do women with more lustful natures have more offspring?
According to another book, "The Historical Background of the Italian Renaissance," after literature flourished in Italy, monarchs no longer felt ashamed to attend poetry recitals. But in Germany, monarchs were more interested in horses and dogs than poets and writers. As a renowned anthropological work, this book provides an easy-to-understand and insightful explanation of the history and development of human civilization and culture. It is praised by Professor Lu Shuxiang as "popular science reading that both laypeople and experts can enjoy." It covers everything from daily eating and clothing to playing the lute and writing, from the ability of Central Asian natives to catch 89 lice in a minute to the French king meeting guests while sitting on the toilet, from the Marseillais using their wives to entertain guests to the Paris hospitals where the living and the dead slept in the same beds. It discusses everything from ancient to modern times, and nothing is left out—but nothing is discussed without brilliance.
But what this book brings is not just entertainment. Readers can also realize that "so-called civilized people can sometimes be barbaric, while so-called barbaric people can sometimes be civilized." They can understand that civilization is not the achievement of one or a few nations but the result of mutual learning and joint creation among many peoples. They can recognize that the valuable heritage of culture is mixed with many impurities, and we must always be vigilant."