conformity to the
collective pattern; and collective uniformity in a united world of human
brotherhood. At times and in places the basic propositions were
accepted, rejected, fought over. Each civilization which followed them
successfully was able to establish itself, maintain itself, and up to a
certain point add to its prestige, wealth and power.

The first goal was success in the struggle for survival. Collective
uniformity and expansion opened the path to wealth and power, in the
city, state, the empire, the civilization. From a multitude of local
beginnings the struggle for expansion and consolidation led to ever
larger aggregations of land, population, capital and wealth concentrated
in the hands of an increasingly rich, powerful oligarchy, protected and
defended by a military elite pushing itself ceaselessly toward a
position from which it could make and enforce domestic policy and order.

A second collective goal has been propitiating and wooing the unseen
forces of the universe: holding their attention; keeping them on "our"
side; relying on their influence for defense against enemies, mortal and
immortal, and help in providing water in case of drought, fertility,
assistance in healing the sick, comfort for the dying, consolation for
the bereaved and success in business deals. These multiple aspects of
ideology are summed up under the term "religion".

Each civilization has had its religious ideas and ideals, its religious
practices and institutions. Many civilizations have divided their
attention between civil ideology and religious ideology. In some cases
religious ideology took precedence, resulting in a theocratic society
under the leadership of religious devotees. In other cases, notably
Roman civilization and western civilization, religious ideology was
subordinated to secular interests.

In the early stages of western civilization, religious ideology took
precedence over secular ideology. With the rise of the bourgeoisie,
secular ideology moved into the foreground, making loud religious
professions, but also making sure that business-for-profit had the last
word in the determination of public policy.

A third collective ideological goal of civilization has been aesthetic;
the yen for symmetry and balance; the love of beauty; the desire for
harmony; the quest for excellence; the lure of magnificence; the search
for truth. Out of these urges have arisen the pictorial and plastic
arts, architecture, m