Fear and Conventionality (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Fear and Conventionality So wont are we by way of disclaimer to call a man in a fit of temper or lust a beast or a savage that likenesses of another kind between us and other creatures, essential likenesses, too, we overlook. Like other expressions of racial pride, this particular trick of castigation dulls our observation, and even leads us astray; for is it not in our reputed virtues rather than in our crying vices that we most resemble our so-called inferiors, beast or savage, in our orderly habits rather than in our lapses? Are not we all of us extremely conservative and usually far more staid than passionate? To all of us, to the animal, to the savage, and to the civilized being few experiences are as uncomfortable or painful, as disquieting or fearful, as the call to innovate Adaptations we all of us dislike or hate. We dodge or shirk them as best we may. And we have protected ourselves against having to make them as well as we could. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.