Depends on what you mean by "civilized", but I take your point. I do wonder, however, if there isn't a correlation between the increase of light pollution and the trend away from reverence for gods. In other words, does the ability to see the grandeur of the heavens on a daily basis influence us to believe in greater beings?
On a side note: there is a great documentary on light pollution called “Saving the Dark” (it's on Youtube). This really has a big impact on us and the environment.
"Depends on what you mean by "civilized", but I take your point. I do wonder, however, if there isn't a correlation between the increase of light pollution and the trend away from reverence for gods. In other words, does the ability to see the grandeur of the heavens on a daily basis influence us to believe in greater beings?"
I wouldn't say it's exactly subtle to say "depends on what you mean by 'civilized'" and then immediately talk about the "trend away from reverence for gods". If you want to clarify, then clarify, but as it stands your comment is quite clear.
Oh, I see where you're coming from, but I was actually just being pedantic about what it means to be "civilized", since human civilization goes back thousands of years before electric light. "Civilized" in historical contexts means to be in an advanced stage of social and cultural development, that there is a lot of structure to people's lives, even if that structure employed violence in ways we find abhorrent.
The other meaning of "civilized", the one you seem to have intended, is more along the lines of being well-mannered and less violent, which is why I take your point.
