The Place with No Name (p. 213)
“
There comes a point in the downward slide of the human condition when a man ceases to be a man. He may still walk erect, but it is principally a matter of skeletal arrangement, not ethics.
— Harlan Ellison
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "There comes a point in the downward slide of the human condition when a man ceases to be a man. He may still walk erect, but it is principally a matter of skeletal arrangement, not ethics." in the context of "The Place with No Name (p. 213)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Harlan Ellison" (Quotes, Short Fiction Collections, Deathbird Stories (1975): Page numbers from the mass market paperback edition, published by Dell, catalogue# 1737, first printing, September 1976
See Harlan Ellison's Internet Science Fiction Database page for original publication details
Italics and ellipses as in the book. Bold face added for emphasis. )
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (27 May 1934 – 28 June 2018) was an American author (mostly of speculative fiction) and media critic.
About Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (27 May 1934 – 28 June 2018) was an American author (mostly of speculative fiction) and media critic.
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