Is civilization natural?

[HydrogenBond]

Civilization is lower than natural, natural, and higher than natural, all at the same time.

For example, historical slavery reduced many individuals to below their natural capacity as human animals. They in turn, helped to exaggerate the natural capacity of others with the logistics created. All one would have to do is take away civilization to see that the steady state for all would be far closer.

In terms of human behavior, some humans can go unnatural, allowing others to exceed natural, because of civilization. If you take away this feature of civilization, these extremes will merge closer to natural.

For example, mass drug addictions are made possible on a large scale because of the logistics created by civilization; farming, manufacturing, transport, distribution, marketing and sales. Without civilization, the entire supply line would be broken with the number of unnatural addicts falling toward natural. But on the other hand, having this large supply of addicts allows other humans to the opportunity to help other humans in need, beyond what animals would do for stranger animals. If we break the supply line and lower the addict supply back to natural, the number of humans who show this higher helpful behavior, also drops by default closer to natural. In nature there is not as much natural opportunity to exceed natural limits.

I think it was Abraham Lincoln who said, he never met a man with virtues who did not also have some vices. This is based on an internal contrast created or made possible by civilization, where lower often creates higher. He may have been speaking of General Grant who was a vulgar, drunken, cigar smoking general who produced the best results, even better than those more limited in their vices who could rest on laurels. Grant needed to try harder to make up for where he was lower than natural. How many drunken, vulgar, cigar smoking apes do you know. Animals lack the inner contrast made possible by the codes of civilization, which push them in both ways either internally or externally.

I tend to think, civilization averages near natural, over the long term. Swings of unnatural and contrasting better than natural sort of cancel each out over time. If everyone gets better than natural, civilization will create unnatural. If unnatural gets too high, it will also create better than natural, so the long term average remains close to natural.

I also think the evolution in civilization is trying to narrow the magnitude of the swing both high and low, until civilization finally becomes a natural part of the earth.