December 31, 2025

Civilization is nothing else but the attempt to reduce force to being the last resort.

José Ortega y Gasset (1883–1955), Spanish philosopher and statesman, The Cynic’s Lexicon, Jonathon Green, ed. (London: 1986), p.159

Do you understand this definition? How would you define civilization? Do you appreciate the role of politics in the maintenance of civilization, however you define it?

What then should politicians do about contact sports? Ban them as too close to the last resort? Or promote them as an acceptable alternative to it? Think about that tomorrow—January first—when watching the Rose Bowl. (The premiere post-season collegiate football game, dating from 1902, and held annually on New Year’s Day at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California.)