Project Gutenberg 2005-07-21 Public domain in the USA. 329 Bierce, Ambrose 1842 1913 Grile, Dod Haldeman-Julius, E. (Emanuel) 1888 1951 Haldeman-Julius, Emanuel Julius, Emanuel A Cynic Looks at Life Little Blue Book # 1099 Civilization -- The gift o' gab -- Natura benigna -- The death penalty -- Immortality -- Emancipated woman -- A mad world -- Epigrams of a cynic. Produced by Ted Garvin, Dave Macfarlane and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net "A Cynic Looks at Life" by Ambrose Bierce is a collection of essays and philosophical reflections written during the early 20th century. The book examines the nature of civilization, human behavior, and societal norms, often adopting a critical and cynical perspective. Bierce's insightful yet scathing observations about life and humanity highlight the dark absurdities of the world, reflecting the complex interplay of morality, egoism, and the human condition. In this thought-provoking work, Bierce challenges the notion that civilization inherently improves human nature, arguing that it rather reveals humanity's flaws and contradictions. He adopts a skeptical approach to topics such as patriotism, societal inequalities, and the might of majorities, suggesting that progress often comes at the cost of suffering and unjust practices. The essays blend wit with a profound exploration of ethical dilemmas, resulting in a compelling critique of civilization and a reflection on the human experience. Through his sharp commentary, Bierce encourages readers to question accepted norms and recognize the inherent contradictions within themselves and society. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 59.3 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Essays PS Text Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: American Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics 121410 2025-06-07T07:03:03.297823 text/html 120277 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 46850 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 127260 2025-06-07T07:03:09.585824 application/epub+zip 127274 2025-06-07T07:03:06.500840 application/epub+zip 106155 2025-06-07T07:03:05.271833 application/epub+zip 236478 2025-06-07T07:03:11.964790 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 226066 2025-06-07T07:03:08.810825 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 200148 2022-09-08T04:50:08.806573 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 111476 2025-06-07T07:03:02.865846 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 111387 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 45062 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 111379 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 45038 2020-12-12T05:45:39 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21453 2025-06-07T07:03:12.124788 application/rdf+xml 12853 2025-06-07T07:03:05.843839 image/jpeg 3276 2025-06-07T07:03:05.559809 image/jpeg 125882 2025-06-07T07:03:03.311842 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia More titles under Herman, William (Author of The dance of death) en.wikipedia