{"text":"It seems, in fact, that the more advanced a society is, the greater will be its interest in ruined things, for it will see in them a redemptively sobering reminder of the fragility of its own achievements. Ruins pose a direct challenge to our concern with power and rank, with bustle and fame. They puncture the inflated folly of our exhaustive and frenetic pursuit of wealth.","author":"Alain de Botton","tags":["achievements","fame","folly","power","rank","ruins","society","wealth"],"id":7490,"author_id":"Alain+de+Botton"}