Civilization Teleology

[arborman]

Ok, I love the game as a game, but what does it tell us about history and cultural development?
1) The purpose of any civilization is to develop technologically to an ultimate point at which it will be the victor over all other civs.
2) There is only one route to cultural success, through some form of technological development. There are several victory options, but none of them can happen without technology.
3) Small, indigenous civs (barbarians) should be destroyed to
a)train our armies
b)gain money and pillage their gains
4) Alternate paths to success, or a desire to eschew technology and pursue some other path, will always result in defeat and probably death.
5) The purpose of culture is to protect yourself from assimilation and to assimilate others. Weak cultures are assimilated by strong cultures.
6) Resources are worth killing and even destroying other civilizations to attain.

Ok, I realize it's just a game, and I'm as addicted as the rest of you, possible more. This thread is mostly for fun, to stimulate discussion. I wouldn't want to play a game where the goal is to just get along,be nice, and everybody wins. I am, after all, human. I just found these to be interesting observations, and I would way rather do this than write the paper that is due tomorrow.

[d_dudy]

i think that's all a pretty accurate description of human nature.

go write your paper

[Veracitas]

Originally posted by arborman
Ok, I love the game as a game, but what does it tell us about history and cultural development?
1) The purpose of any civilization is to develop technologically to an ultimate point at which it will be the victor over all other civs.
2) There is only one route to cultural success, through some form of technological development. There are several victory options, but none of them can happen without technology.
3) Small, indigenous civs (barbarians) should be destroyed to
a)train our armies
b)gain money and pillage their gains
4) Alternate paths to success, or a desire to eschew technology and pursue some other path, will always result in defeat and probably death.
5) The purpose of culture is to protect yourself from assimilation and to assimilate others. Weak cultures are assimilated by strong cultures.
6) Resources are worth killing and even destroying other civilizations to attain.

In (1) You left out the building of a massive spaceship to colonize a planet that doesn't exist

The things that of course attract humans the most are those things involving carnage, death, and destruction. Hell, life would be boring without it, wouldn't it? In all, we seem to be a pretty violent and pathetic species (it's hard to make this last statement, though, since we don't really have anything to compare to; comparing ourselves with other animals would be like comparing apples and oranges, since they are at a different developmental level than we are; exempli gratia, i'm sure australopithicus was not nearly as willfully violent as we are, and not more so than the norm; the larger question, then, is what we CAN compare ourselves with...).


On a side note, it would make more sense to colonize mars, would it not? Last I checked, the U.S. government actually has enough resources to completely terraform Mars, though this would be an incredible undertaking on all levels, to say the least: one the government feels no need (nor really should they, at this point) to begin.

[Stefu]

7. If some nation has established a city in location you don't like or which you wouldn't have established a city in, it is your right to destroy the said city.

...what? What? I play like that!

[arborman]

Terraforming Mars would be interesting. Maybe not burning this planet up in the first place might be a good start. Oops, political rant. In my current game, the French are the major threat to my hegemony. In this world, the French make cheese and wine. Oh well.

[LostLamb]

Originally posted by arborman
In my current game, the French are the major threat to my hegemony. In this world, the French make cheese and wine. Oh well.

Are you certain you didn't mean, "make cheese and whine?"

[Veracitas]

lol, but about two centuries ago, the French were the major geo-political threat...twice.