A Cynic Looks at Life
()
About this ebook
Ambrose Bierce
Ambrose Bierce was an American writer, critic and war veteran. Bierce fought for the Union Army during the American Civil War, eventually rising to the rank of brevet major before resigning from the Army following an 1866 expedition across the Great Plains. Bierce’s harrowing experiences during the Civil War, particularly those at the Battle of Shiloh, shaped a writing career that included editorials, novels, short stories and poetry. Among his most famous works are “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” “The Boarded Window,” “Chickamauga,” and What I Saw of Shiloh. While on a tour of Civil-War battlefields in 1913, Bierce is believed to have joined Pancho Villa’s army before disappearing in the chaos of the Mexican Revolution.
Read more from Ambrose Bierce
The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the Stories That Started It All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Famous Modern Ghost Stories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest Ghost and Horror Stories Ever Written: volume 4 (30 short stories) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Greatest Ghost and Horror Stories Ever Written: volume 1 (30 short stories) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest American Short Stories: 50+ Classics of American Literature Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Classic American Short Story MEGAPACK ® (Volume 1): 34 of the Greatest Stories Ever Written Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Devil's Dictionary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hellbent Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devil's Dictionary Illustrated Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWrite It Right Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Masterpieces of Occult & Supernatural Fiction Vol. 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTRICK OR TREAT Boxed Set: 200+ Eerie Tales from the Greatest Storytellers: Horror Classics, Mysterious Cases, Gothic Novels, Monster Tales & Supernatural Stories: Sweeney Todd, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Frankenstein, The Vampire, Dracula, Sleepy Hollow, From Beyond… Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devil's Dictionary: Satirical Definitions of Everyday Words Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Greatest American Short Stories (Vol. 1) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devils Dictionary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to A Cynic Looks at Life
Related ebooks
A Cynic Looks at Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Cynic Looks At Life: "Speak when you are angry and you will make the best speech you will ever regret." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmbrose Bierce – The Complete Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reign of Gilt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAmericans and Others Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCæsar or Nothing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe National Being: Some Thoughts on an Irish Polity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSouth America To-day: A Study of Conditions, Social, Political and Commercial in Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivilization the Primal Need of the Race The American Negro Academy. Occasional Paper No. 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCharlemont; Or, The Pride of the Village. a Tale of Kentucky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThings Written Randomly in Doubt Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe History of Duelling (Vol.1&2): Complete Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNationalism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNationalism: Political & Philosophical Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistory of Duel: Complete Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Jewish State Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIs America Becoming Too Stupid to Survive? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Silver Domino; Or, Side Whispers, Social and Literary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe History of Duelling Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Chronicles of Twenty Years of an African Slave Ship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPublic School Education Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blight of Respectability: An Anatomy of the Disease and a Theory of Curative Treatment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEssays on Nationalism: Political & Philosophical Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCivilisation: Its Cause and Cure; and Other Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCaptain Canot: 20 Years of an African Slave Ship Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of Ojibbeway and Ioway Indians in England, France, and Belgium Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWinds Of Doctrine Studies in Contemporary Opinion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMemoirs of an American Lady: With Sketches of Manners and Scenery in America, as They Existed Previous to the Revolution Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Problem of China Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Philosophy For You
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Allegory of the Cave Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daily Stoic: A Daily Journal On Meditation, Stoicism, Wisdom and Philosophy to Improve Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tao Te Ching: A New English Version Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bhagavad Gita (in English): The Authentic English Translation for Accurate and Unbiased Understanding Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bhagavad Gita Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mindfulness in Plain English: 20th Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inward Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Experiencing God (2021 Edition): Knowing and Doing the Will of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Complete Papyrus of Ani Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The School of Life: An Emotional Education: An Emotional Education Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Buddha's Guide to Gratitude: The Life-changing Power of Everyday Mindfulness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Course in Miracles: Text, Workbook for Students, Manual for Teachers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lying Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Here Now Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Loving Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of God Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Brain Training with the Buddha: A Modern Path to Insight Based on the Ancient Foundations of Mindfulness Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Beyond Good and Evil Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lessons of History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Cynic Looks at Life
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Cynic Looks at Life - Ambrose Bierce
Table of Contents
CIVILIZATION
I
II
III
THE GIFT O’ GAB
NATURA BENIGNA
THE DEATH PENALTY
I
II
III
IV
V
IMMORTALITY
EMANCIPATED WOMAN
A MAD WORLD
EPIGRAMS OF A CYNIC
A
CYNIC LOOKS AT LIFE
by
AMBROSE BIERCE
First digital edition 2019 by Maria Ruggieri
CIVILIZATION
I
The question Does civilization civilize?
is a fine example of petitio principii, and decides itself in the affirmative; for civilization, must needs do that from the doing of which it has its name. But it is not necessary to suppose that he who propounds is either unconscious of his lapse in logic or desirous of digging a pitfall for the feet of those who discuss; I take it he simply wishes to put the matter in an impressive way, and relies upon a certain degree of intelligence in the interpretation.
Concerning uncivilized peoples, we know but little except what we are told by travelers who, speaking generally, can know very little but the fact of uncivilization, as shown in externals and irrelevances, and are moreover, greatly given to lying. From the savages, we hear very little. Judging them in all things by our own standards in default of a knowledge of theirs, we necessarily condemn, disparage and belittle. One thing that civilization certainly has not done is to make us intelligent enough to understand that the contrary of a virtue is not necessarily a vice. Because, as a rule, we have but one wife and several mistresses each it is not certain that polygamy is everywhere, nor, for that matter, anywhere either wrong or inexpedient. Because the brutality of the civilized slave owners and dealers created a conquering sentiment against slavery it is not intelligent to assume that slavery is a maleficent thing amongst Oriental peoples (for example) where the slave is not oppressed. Some of these same Orientals whom we are pleased to term half-civilized have no regard for truth. Takest thou me for a Christian dog,
said one of them, that I should be the slave of my word?
So far as I can perceive, the Christian dog
is no more the slave of his word than the True Believer, and I think the savage, allowing for the fact that his inveracity has dominion over fewer things, as great a liar as either of them. For my part, I do not know what, in all circumstances, is right or wrong; but I know that, if right, it is at least stupid, to judge an uncivilized people by the standards of morality and intelligence set up by civilized ones. Life in civilized countries is so complex that men there have more ways to be good than savages have, and more to be bad; more to be happy, and more to be miserable. And in each way to be good or bad, their generally superior knowledge, their knowledge of more things enables them to commit greater excesses than the savage can. The civilized philanthropist wreaks upon his fellows a ranker philanthropy, the civilized rascal a sturdier rascality. And splendid triumph of enlightenment! the two characters are, in civilization, frequently combined in one person.
I know of no savage custom or habit of thought which has not its mate in civilized countries. For every mischievous or absurd practice of the natural man I can name you one of ours that is essentially the same. And nearly every custom of our barbarian ancestors in historic times persists in some form today. We make ourselves look formidable in battle for that matter, we fight. Our women paint their faces. We feel it obligatory to dress more or less alike, inventing the most ingenious reasons for doing so and actually despising and persecuting those who do not care to conform. Almost within the memory of living persons bearded men were stoned in the streets; and a clergyman in New York who wore his beard as Christ wore his, was put into jail and variously persecuted till he died.
Civilization does not, I think, make the race any better. It makes men know more: and if knowledge makes them happy it is useful and desirable. The one purpose of every sane human being is to be happy. No one can have any other motive than that. There is no such thing as unselfishness. We perform the most generous
and self-sacrificing
acts because we should be unhappy if we did not. We move on lines of least reluctance. Whatever tends to increase the beggarly sum of human happiness is worth having; nothing else has any value.
The cant of civilization fatigues. Civilization, is a fine and