Basic English and Its Uses [antikvár]

PrefaceThis is a reconstruction book. It looks to the future and assumes that the reader enjoys a moderate faith in man. It is sustained by the thought that even the immense collective crimes of the present have their encouraging side. In committing them and combating them, men are exhibiting immense virtuesintelligence, courage, steadfastness, initiativein degrees which should daunt us all. Man's powers to invent, to organize, to dare, and to persist seem indeed almost too much for him. It looks as though, with enough incentive, nothing were too hard. The first mental task of reconstruction is to clear our incentives and choose more positive and permanent goals.One of these goals is a reasonable degree of communication spread out more evenly over the planet. How to attain that goal is our theme. It is a necessity now ; necessary for human progress, necessary perhaps for human survival. We can no longer risk letting any large section of the human race live in separation, cut off from the fullest possible communication with the rest. When the separated section is powerful, we know what happens. It develops a warped understanding of its own interests, from which must come designs against the interests of the rest of the planet. National aggressions are no accidents, no local freaks of evil inspiration. They are outcomes of spiritual separation. " A man who would live to himself alone must be either a beast or a god," wrote Bacon in echo of Aristotle. That is as true of nations. Being no gods, they become either beasts of prey or their victims. For when the separated nation is weak, technologically undeveloped and helpless, its condition contributes to the same disasters. Such nations tempt others to prey upon them. Prewar China was the great example.It would be silly, of course, to regard such separation as the only cause of wars ; sillier still to think that differences of language are the only or the chief barriers between nations. Nonetheless, linguistic barriers have their share in the responsibility. No one who knows Central Europe doubts that a common secondary language of discussionfree from partisan charges would aid immensely in ironing out boundary tensions. No one who knows the Far East doubts that China and Japan must find linguistic access to the thought of the rest of the world if they are to join it in any real fashion. A common medium of