History

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Jackson LaRose — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:13:56 GMT

Why, thank you!

Oops, subjUgation.

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Smiling Dave — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:10:18 GMT

Ignorance and subjegation walk hand in hand.

I like this line so much I'm going to add it to my signature, with credit to you.

Subjegation?

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Jackson LaRose — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:57:37 GMT

Yes! Ignorance and subjegation walk hand in hand.

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

James — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 17:45:22 GMT

How is a hundred people fishing equivalent to a 'state'? What kind of definition is that?

To have a state, you'd need an elite mystical priestly class pretending that they have some arcane, secret fishing knowledge that cannot be known by ordinary fishermen, and that this knowledge is utterly essential to prevent disaster. Then you'd also need an enforcement class to back up the priests' ideology, and enforce the transfer of resorces from the fishermen to themselves and the priestly class, in accordance with some tenet of this ideology.

Then you'd have a state.

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Autolykos — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:58:19 GMT

Smiling Dave:
1. Will Durant writes in Volume One:

The Polynesians had nets a thousand ells long, which could be handled only by a hundred men; in such ways economic provision grew hand in hand with political organization, and the united quest for food helped to generate the state.

Any info about this? Is this the way the state was generated?

I don't think so. The state is the authoritarian family/clan/tribe writ large.

Re: Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Neodoxy — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:16:03 GMT

There's no reason why a government could not originate out of mutual organization. In a lot of ways it depends on the society and the factors available, I'd need more details, if not I could just give you a lot of possibilities. Simply consider that it could well have been that the state originally handled the organization of these men but at the same time it was as involved and as free market as a state can be (much more possible on a small scale)

As for the second he's talking about the move into real civilization.

Simply a warning, ALWAYS be weary of history. The past is set in stone, the way we think of it is not.

Questions about The Story of Civilization by Will Durant

Smiling Dave — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:03:47 GMT

1. Will Durant writes in Volume One:

The Polynesians had nets a thousand ells long, which could be handled only by a hundred men; in such ways economic provision grew hand in hand with political organization, and the united quest for food helped to generate the state.

Any info about this? Is this the way the state was generated?

2. He also writes:

The moment man begins to take thought of the morrow he passes out of the Garden of Eden into the vale of anxiety; the pale cast of worry settles down upon him, greed is sharpened, property begins, and the good cheer of the "thoughtless" native disappears. The American Negro is making this transition today,

When is the "today" he is talking about? What happened then?