"The ultimate tendency of civilization is towards barbarism"

David Hare’s remark that “the ultimate tendency of civilization is towards barbarism” encapsulates a paradox at the heart of human progress. Civilization is typically associated with refinement, order, progress, and moral advancement. Yet Hare suggests that this edifice is fragile, perhaps even superficial, and that beneath its surface lies the potential for regression to primitive, uncivilized behaviors, a movement not towards moral or ethical improvement, but rather towards chaos, violence, and moral collapse.

The idea implies that the structures and norms that make up civilization are not immutable or guaranteed. They are continually challenged by underlying human impulses such as greed, fear, selfishness, and aggression. Progress, then, is not a straight, upward trajectory. The forces of barbarism, brutality, intolerance, disregard for human dignity, are always present, sometimes lying dormant, sometimes surging forth when institutions weaken, social contracts fray, or collective anxieties overwhelm reason and empathy.

History bears out Hare's insight: periods of great advancement have often ended in conflict or decline, as seen in the collapse of ancient Rome or the horrors of the twentieth century despite rapid technological and cultural progress. Civilization requires vigilance; it demands conscious effort to sustain dialogue, justice, and compassion. Without such effort, the façade can quickly erode, exposing the atavistic tendencies that civilization claims to have overcome.

Moreover, Hare’s statement serves as a warning against complacency. It argues that seeing civilization as a finished achievement is a mistake. Each generation faces the challenge of preventing regression into barbarism, whether through war, systemic injustice, or the erosion of civil liberties. The line between order and chaos, humanity and inhumanity, is thin, maintained only through deliberate ethical and institutional choices. Hare thus calls for humility and reflection, recognizing that civilization's survival is always contingent, never assured.