A member of a nation cannot learn who or what s/he is from the environment, as would an individual in a religious and rigidly stratified social order, in which everyone’s position and behavior is defined by birth and divine providence. Modern culture cannot provide us with the consistent guidance that other cultures give to their members.
与出身和天意决定地位和举止的僵化宗教社会秩序不同，公民成员无法借助所处的环境明确界定自我身份信息。现代文化对民众提供的一贯指引与其他文化根本无法相比。因为不能提供一贯的指导原则（因为不可避免地要按照文化环境的指引行事），国家主义实际让我们迷失方向，形容这种文化缺陷的就是俗称失范的名词。