We build, but as our fathers built. Change is no progress, nor numbers advance.

[Vladv1]

"The slave-owners whip cracked from the beginning and it will crack till the day of doom. In every kingdom, republic, and empire on earth, we have (in one disguise or another) the master and the slave — the ruler and the ruled. In the course of centuries, names alone have changed, essentials have remained the same. Form of royalty may alter, but kings can never die. There was mastership at the beginning, and there will be mastership to the end. We build, but as our fathers built. Change is no progress, nor numbers advance".
Might Is Right, by Ragnar Redbeard.
Could you plese explain the meaning in other words? I get the words, but not the whole thought behind them.

 

[jutfrank]

Things don't progress with respect to mastership. Even though we grow as a species and come up with new ideas and technologies, this basic master/slave power structure stays the same.

 

[Vladv1]

Things don't progress with respect to mastership. Even though we grow as a species and come up with new ideas and technologies, this basic master/slave power structure stays the same.

what does "nor numbers advance" mean in other words?

 

[jutfrank]

what does "nor numbers advance" mean in other words?

I think it means that our growing population has had no effect either.

 

[probus]

Be aware @Vladv1 that the style of this passage is rather dated, published in 1895. Current usage might be more like this:

We build things the same way our ancestors did. The mere fact that we build more does not mean we build better.

 

[Vladv1]

I think it means that our growing population has had no effect either.

Is "advance" a noun here?

 

[probus]

Yes.

 

[Vladv1]

Yes.

Could you please explain what the author might mean by "nor numbers advance" in simple terms?

 

[probus]

Nor means " and ... not".
Numbers refers to the number of buildings built.
Advance is a synonym for progress.

I explained the meaning in post 5 above.