Civilization : "it means just what I choose it to mean"

Civilization is a complex and powerful word and idea that should neither be reviled nor revered, but it should be respected. It is said that the idea of civilization can be used simply to describe; but as a binary term, the ideal of civilization can be used to both to describe and evaluate; or pass judgement in the very act of describing. The nature of such concepts is that they can be used to either commend or condemn the actions or peoples they are used to describe.