--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The argument was this: a civilization…" description: "\"“The argument was this: a civilization shackled to the strictures of excessive control on its populace, from choice of religion through to the producti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58b/steven-erikson-588_face-value_the-argument-was-this-a-civilization-sha_1626081.jpg" --- # The argument was this: a civilization shackled to the… ![“The argument was this: a civilization shackled to the strictures of excessive control on its populace, from choice of religion through to the production of goods, will sap the will and the ingenuity of its people – for whom such qualities are no longer given sufficient incentive or reward. At face…” quote by Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58b/steven-erikson-588_face-value_the-argument-was-this-a-civilization-sha_1626081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58b/steven-erikson-588_face-value_the-argument-was-this-a-civilization-sha_1626081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58b/steven-erikson-588_face-value_the-argument-was-this-a-civilization-sha_1626081.jpg) > ““The argument was this: a civilization shackled to the strictures of excessive control on its populace, from choice of religion through to the production of goods, will sap the will and the ingenuity of its people – for whom such qualities are no longer given sufficient incentive or reward. At face value, this is accurate enough. Trouble arrives when the opponents to such a system institute its extreme opposite, where individualism becomes godlike and sacrosanct, and no greater service to any other ideal (including community) is possible. In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore, a kind of intransigence as fierce and nonsensical as its maternalistic counterpart. And so, in the clash of these two extreme systems, one is witness to brute stupidity and blood-splashed insensitivity; two belligerent faces glowering at each other across the unfathomed distance, and yet, in deed and in fanatic regard, they are but mirror reflections. This would be amusing if it weren’t so pathetically idiotic…”” [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Extreme control stifles creativity; extreme freedom breeds greed; balance is needed for healthy societies. **In simple terms:** Too much control kills innovation; too much freedom fuels greed. Key Takeaway Seek balanced governance. Themes politics philosophy society freedom control Mood critical reflective serious Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - government policy - community building - education reform - corporate regulation - civil discourse Key Concepts authoritarianism libertarianism human nature incentives Questions to Reflect On - How can societies balance individual liberty with collective responsibility? - What safeguards prevent freedom from becoming greed? 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In such a system rapacious greed thrives behind the guise of freedom, and the worst aspects of human nature come to the fore, a kind of intransigence as fierce and nonsensical as its maternalistic counterpart. And so, in the clash of these two extreme systems, one is witness to brute stupidity and blood-splashed insensitivity; two belligerent faces glowering at each other across the unfathomed distance, and yet, in deed and in fanatic regard, they are but mirror reflections. 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