Civilization

[forsyth]

If you want to be a civilization, not just "the good guys," the means matter as much as the ends.

A lot of that's because civilization doesn't really have an ends. There are goals, but civilization is an ongoing thing. Which in the end means there are no ends, just means.

Comments

[forsythferret.livejournal.com]

But what's the purpose of the goals? To keep things running. To achieve some other goal.

And yes, there are goals, and they're ends to an extent, but the means will keep coming up. Things will keep happening, and so the goal is often less important than how you handle it, because there'll be more things like it to handle than their are completed goals.

[leticia.livejournal.com]

"End poverty" is a goal. It is an end. No, you don't get the 'You Win!' screen and then go to the credits when you accomplish it. But 'ending poverty' is not a means. It's an end. To diminish it to just a tool is stupid.