We're Civilized!

"We're Civilized!" by Mark Clifton is a science fiction story that places readers on Mars to question what civilization really means. Captain Griswold and his crew, thinking they've discovered a new world, meet Martians who live in peace with nature and each other and have complex canal systems for survival. Griswold and his people, blinded by pride, see the Martians as less advanced, which causes conflict when they try to take over. The humans' arrogance is laid bare as they miss the Martians’ intelligence, leading to a big moral problem when the Martians stand up for themselves, only to face human violence. The story calls into question colonialism and challenges the very idea of what it means to be civilized.