There is a continuum of values between the churches and the general community. What distinguishes the handling of these values in the churches is mainly the heavier dosage of religious vocabulary involved.

The basic fault lines today are not between people with different beliefs but between people who hold these beliefs with an element of uncertainty and people who hold these beliefs with a pretense of certitude.

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

The past is malleable and flexible, changing as our recollection interprets and re-explains what has happened.

Even if one is interested only in one's own society, which is one's prerogative, one can understand that society much better by comparing it with others.

When certain branches of the economy become obsolete, as in the case of the steel industry, not only do jobs disappear, which is obviously a terrible social hardship, but certain cultures also disappear.