Human, All Too Human, Part 23 summary
Part 23 of 152 · 2 min to read the part
In 23, the speaker argues that weakening tradition increases restlessness and allows people to compare artistic forms, moral codes, and civilizations side by side. This comparison brings both cultural growth and painful selection, and the speaker urges readers to accept the task of understanding their age rather than shrink from its costs.
What happens
- As tradition loses its hold, motives become more active, people grow restless, and attachments to particular places weaken.
- Artistic methods, moral codes, manners, and civilizations borrow from one another and become available for comparison.
- The speaker contrasts this shared availability with earlier cultures restricted by place and time.
- Comparison develops aesthetic feeling and selects among artistic forms and moral customs, condemning some to disappear.
- The speaker urges readers to face this painful task and imagines grateful descendants who value both earlier civilizations and comparative culture.
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What makes comparison between civilizations possible in the present age?
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