The pillars of society

Abstract

Since it is only reasonable to expect a title to give fair indication of what is to come, we ought to start by making sure our general title awakens all the right associations. To most speakers of English, the word ‘pillars’ in this context probably suggests first of all important people, in Dutch cultural history perhaps people such as Erasmus, William the Silent and some of the great 17th-century commercial and political leaders. To some it might also suggest the basic institutions that hold a society together, such as democratic government or religion, or perhaps even more abstract things such as peacefulness, decency and tolerance.