- The gradual increase in perspective, from family to tribe to city state, nation state and, eventually, the whole world. We have
more or less steadily acknowledged, if not embraced, the idea that our globe is covered with people of different backgrounds,
different adaptations to their environments, etc.
- The gradual increase in our understanding of how our world works, including how planets and other bodies move in space, how the
earth itself changes, how different organisms, including people, live and survive, and what forces act on us and the world. This
understanding has helped us treat diseases, improve food production, and even better comprehend our own behavior.
- The growth of self-government … the idea that policies should not simply be dictated by all-powerful rulers, but that the population in general should be able to influence and sway the actions of society.
And if you don’t see the value of these accomplishments, if you don’t agree that equality, science and democracy are our most worthwhile endeavors … then you’ve flunked Civilization 101.