The professions that we choose and the land that we call home have a profound impact on the structure of society we inherit. Two poles can be seen between a rural agrarian society, and an urban merchant society.
In a rural agrarian society, the people are tied to the land. They rely on the land to produce their sustenance, which they need to survive, and to trade with neighbors and others in their community. There would be a direct connection between labor and results, cause and effect, action and responsibility. Efforts to till the ground, sew the fields, and harvest the crops would produce direct, tangible results.
They may form a kind of spiritual connection with the land because it provides them with food, as if through a benevolent force of nature. They reside in the same area their entire lives, and loss of land would be tantamount to their ability to provide for themselves and survive. Thus they would feel a strong connection to defending their land against invaders. In a small community, reputation is paramount. Everyone knows each other, and underhanded behavior would be swiftly punished. A reputation of lieing, stealing, and violence would be easily detected and the community would unite against it.
In an urban merchant society, the values would be dramatically different. Urban societies seek to exploit growth in ever expanding, ever novel products in ever larger markets. The connection between labor and results would grow more intangible, as the value of labor shifts through fluctuating measures while passing through countless third party intermediaries. The behavior of society is geared towards greater and greater monopolization of capital. A vast urban environment provides anonymity, allowing those of ill repute to escape detection and avoid repercussions for actions. The end of urban society would thus be materialism itself. Morality would be an impediment to maximizing capital allocation, and psychopathy would be rewarded.
It would be difficult for rural societies to defend against the organizational and numerical might of urban societies. But as urban societies lose their sense of purpose, they may become defenseless from the inside out. Perhaps Rome is an illustration of these poles. While the empire began with a strong army of landowners, it eventually crumbled as an urban merchant empire which relied on mercenaries to defend itself.
Society will continue to urbanize for the time being. But within each society lay its own strengths and weaknesses. As the battle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines showed, it can rage for hundreds of years. Different environments produce different societies, and different people gravitate towards different environments.
In a rural agrarian society, the people are tied to the land. They rely on the land to produce their sustenance, which they need to survive, and to trade with neighbors and others in their community. There would be a direct connection between labor and results, cause and effect, action and responsibility. Efforts to till the ground, sew the fields, and harvest the crops would produce direct, tangible results.
They may form a kind of spiritual connection with the land because it provides them with food, as if through a benevolent force of nature. They reside in the same area their entire lives, and loss of land would be tantamount to their ability to provide for themselves and survive. Thus they would feel a strong connection to defending their land against invaders. In a small community, reputation is paramount. Everyone knows each other, and underhanded behavior would be swiftly punished. A reputation of lieing, stealing, and violence would be easily detected and the community would unite against it.
In an urban merchant society, the values would be dramatically different. Urban societies seek to exploit growth in ever expanding, ever novel products in ever larger markets. The connection between labor and results would grow more intangible, as the value of labor shifts through fluctuating measures while passing through countless third party intermediaries. The behavior of society is geared towards greater and greater monopolization of capital. A vast urban environment provides anonymity, allowing those of ill repute to escape detection and avoid repercussions for actions. The end of urban society would thus be materialism itself. Morality would be an impediment to maximizing capital allocation, and psychopathy would be rewarded.
It would be difficult for rural societies to defend against the organizational and numerical might of urban societies. But as urban societies lose their sense of purpose, they may become defenseless from the inside out. Perhaps Rome is an illustration of these poles. While the empire began with a strong army of landowners, it eventually crumbled as an urban merchant empire which relied on mercenaries to defend itself.
Society will continue to urbanize for the time being. But within each society lay its own strengths and weaknesses. As the battle between the Guelphs and Ghibellines showed, it can rage for hundreds of years. Different environments produce different societies, and different people gravitate towards different environments.
![[Image: tumblr_pb7sez4vCT1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/540f0778667ed4f11c1cd75c3b6277d8/tumblr_pb7sez4vCT1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg)
![[Image: tumblr_pb2g1iYsNl1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/6a966d18d16daee25e85467999af1301/tumblr_pb2g1iYsNl1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg)
![[Image: tumblr_papfvzlqrr1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/89d231e0b5e0dec71016e57e79171b1a/tumblr_papfvzlqrr1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg)
![[Image: tumblr_pa7ru37GQg1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/ca67cb89355304f6ddb5465a2cccdfd2/tumblr_pa7ru37GQg1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg)
![[Image: tumblr_p7z5e69p1n1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg]](https://78.media.tumblr.com/fc34b066cc321daf6b60b0668b915ed1/tumblr_p7z5e69p1n1uaxri9o1_1280.jpg)
