For the ancient Greeks and Romans, history revealed no pattern other than the regular growth and decline of civilization—a rhythm not essentially different from those found in the natural world. There was no prospect of indefinite improvement. Judged by the standards of the time, civilization might improve for a while. But eventually the process would stall, then go into reverse. Rooted in the innate defects of the human animal, cycles of this kind could not be overcome. If the gods intervened, the result was only to make the human world even more unpredictable and treacherous.
Christopher Beha, The Myth of Progress, in the February 21, 2019 New York Review of Books.
Christopher Beha, The Myth of Progress, in the February 21, 2019 New York Review of Books.
