In The Civilizing Process (1939), sociologist Norbert Elias traces the emergence of the idea of “civility” to a single book by Erasmus of Rotterdam, De civilitate morum puerilium (1530), which itself underwent numerous editions and was subject to a “multitude of translations, imitations and sequels.” The book, Elias writes, “is about something very simple: the behavior of people in society — above all, bur not solely, ‘outward bodily propriety.’” It gives advice on how one should dress, how one should stand, how to eat, and how to behave in public places, going into nitty-gritty details about what to do with greasy fingers, how to deal with snot, when you should and shouldn’t fart and vomit, and so on.
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Our threshold of repugnance
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In The Civilizing Process (1939), sociologist Norbert Elias traces the emergence of the idea of “civility” to a single book by Erasmus of Rotterdam, De civilitate morum puerilium (1530), which itself underwent numerous editions and was subject to a “multitude of translations, imitations and sequels.” The book, Elias writes, “is about something very simple: the behavior of people in society — above all, bur not solely, ‘outward bodily propriety.’” It gives advice on how one should dress, how one should stand, how to eat, and how to behave in public places, going into nitty-gritty details about what to do with greasy fingers, how to deal with snot, when you should and shouldn’t fart and vomit, and so on.