{"id":1105,"date":"2008-04-16T21:38:16","date_gmt":"2008-04-17T01:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=1105"},"modified":"2018-08-14T13:17:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-14T17:17:41","slug":"wednesday-april-16-2008-who-wrote-don-giovanni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=1105","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday, April 16, 2008 \u2014 Who Wrote Don Giovanni?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a con\u00adsis\u00adtent pat\u00adtern, among those who describe soci\u00adeties and economies, past and present, to reverse cause and effect in sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant events. I would like to dub this the Emper\u00ador Josef Wrote Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni Syn\u00addrome. This is the ten\u00adden\u00adcy to shift atten\u00adtion from those who cre\u00adate to those who rule, some\u00adtimes blunt\u00adly, some\u00adtimes sub\u00adtly, until one has the vague impres\u00adsion that those who rule are the ones who create.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, of course, begins at the crud\u00adest lev\u00adel when his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans casu\u00adal\u00adly assert that some\u00adthing that hap\u00adpened to come into exis\u00adtence dur\u00ading the reign of a king, or an emper\u00ador, or a pharaoh was \u201cmade\u201d by them or \u201cbuilt\u201d by them. The his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan may retreat to the excuse that this is a con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal form, under\u00adstood by all to mean its oppo\u00adsite, but this leaves unex\u00adplained why there should be any need to have a for\u00admu\u00adla\u00adic phras\u00ading so mis\u00adlead\u00ading and per\u00adverse. In fact, it is usu\u00adal\u00adly easy enough to tell from the con\u00adtext that the author does not real\u00adly con\u00adtra\u00addict or qual\u00adi\u00adfy, in his mind, the con\u00adven\u00adtion\u00adal phrase, and real\u00adly does believe that a ruler is the cre\u00adative force, in every sense, behind what\u00adev\u00ader admirable achieve\u00adments hap\u00adpen to be known from his reign. The more dis\u00adtant the events are in time, the more this pre\u00advails. No his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan can get away with claim\u00ading that the Emper\u00ador Joseph II<\/span> was the com\u00adpos\u00ader of Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni, but that is because the events are recent, and approach\u00ading the time when com\u00adposers were begin\u00adning to be be per\u00adceived as impor\u00adtant peo\u00adple. How\u00adev\u00ader, those who know Mozart know that it was a close call. He was a celebri\u00adty as a child, because of his pre\u00adcoc\u00adi\u00adty, but any\u00adone who under\u00adstands the era knows that the aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy of the Aus\u00adtro-Hun\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adan empire thought of him as noth\u00ading more impor\u00adtant than a ser\u00advant, and when he left their brief atten\u00adtion span, he died in pover\u00adty. His body van\u00adished into an anony\u00admous pauper\u2019s grave. If his rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion had not been relent\u00adless\u00adly cham\u00adpi\u00adoned by musi\u00adcians who knew him, his named would have been forgotten.<\/span><\/p>\n

If these events had tak\u00aden place a few cen\u00adturies ear\u00adli\u00ader, then the fact that Josef II<\/span> took music lessons would have been tak\u00aden as suf\u00adfi\u00adcient evi\u00addence that he com\u00adposed the opera, in the same way that the pop\u00adu\u00adlar song \u201cGreensleeves\u201d is con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00adous\u00adly, and absurd\u00adly attrib\u00aduted to Hen\u00adry VIII<\/span> (though the known prove\u00adnance and style prove, with\u00adout a shad\u00adow of a doubt, that the attri\u00adbu\u00adtion is impos\u00adsi\u00adble, I pos\u00adsess sev\u00ader\u00adal record\u00adings that assert it in their lin\u00ader notes). The thresh\u00adold of creduli\u00adty for this sort of thing is very low. Spe\u00adcif\u00adic attri\u00adbu\u00adtion by evi\u00addence is deemed unnec\u00ades\u00adsary when the events take place any time before 1400, when the indi\u00advid\u00adual authors of most cre\u00adative works remain anony\u00admous. We are told, with monot\u00ado\u00adnous reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adi\u00adty that var\u00adi\u00adous kings, emper\u00adors, and bar\u00adbar\u00adians who burned cities and stacked skulls in pyra\u00admids were bril\u00adliant archi\u00adtects, poets, artists, philoso\u00adphers, inven\u00adtors, sci\u00aden\u00adtists and civ\u00adil engi\u00adneers. If an aque\u00adduct was built dur\u00ading some king\u2019s reign, we are giv\u00aden the vague impres\u00adsion that, in between assas\u00adsi\u00adna\u00adtions and mil\u00adi\u00adtary cam\u00adpaigns, he spent all his spare time sur\u00advey\u00ading, draw\u00ading up con\u00adstruc\u00adtion plans, and study\u00ading hydraulic engi\u00adneer\u00ading. The impres\u00adsion is based on noth\u00ading, con\u00adveyed by impli\u00adca\u00adtion, and propped up by rep\u00ade\u00adti\u00adtion. The more lim\u00adit\u00aded our knowl\u00adedge of the era, the more the asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion of a ruler and his \u201cworks\u201d becomes part of our men\u00adtal fur\u00adni\u00adture. Slap\u00adping a ruler\u2019s name on some\u00adthing pret\u00adty much clinch\u00ades the deal. Peo\u00adple are quick to admire Hadrian\u2019s crafts\u00adman\u00adship in \u201cHadrian\u2019s \u201c Wall, and can bare\u00adly be restrained from point\u00ading out the deft strokes with which he trow\u00adeled the mor\u00adtar. If a legal code or a procla\u00adma\u00adtion sur\u00advives from a monarch\u2019s life\u00adtime, his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans are quick to see it as evi\u00addence of the work\u00adings of his mind, even if com\u00admon sense tells us that it was prob\u00ada\u00adbly con\u00adceived, devised and writ\u00adten by some name\u00adless clerk, while the monarch was snor\u00ading and fart\u00ading, dead drunk, sprawled on the cush\u00adions of the harem. Just because the title \u201cCode of Ham\u00admura\u00adbi\u201d is poked in cuneiform wedges at the top of the clay tablet doesn\u2019t mean that he either wrote it or thunk it. Yet, even if a his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan con\u00adcedes this in a foot\u00adnote, it is instant\u00adly for\u00adgot\u00adten, and every word writ\u00adten on the sub\u00adject belies the foot\u00adnote, and pro\u00admotes the fantasy.<\/span><\/p>\n

I would call atten\u00adtion to the events in Roma\u00adnia, in very recent times. The Com\u00admu\u00adnist regime required all sci\u00aden\u00adtists and schol\u00adars to pub\u00adlish their books, reports and papers with the author\u00adship attrib\u00aduted to the wife of the dic\u00adta\u00adtor, who was referred to in every ref\u00ader\u00adence source, broad\u00adcast, and pub\u00adlic record as \u201cthe great\u00adest sci\u00aden\u00adtif\u00adic mind of the cen\u00adtu\u00adry\u201d. In real\u00adi\u00adty, she was bare\u00adly able to read, and had all the knowl\u00adedge and intel\u00adli\u00adgence of a lump of stale cook\u00adie dough. Yet thou\u00adsands upon thou\u00adsands of writ\u00adten doc\u00adu\u00adments sur\u00advive, in libraries scat\u00adtered around the world, with her name on them, and a few hun\u00addred years from now, schol\u00adars will be cer\u00adtain that there exist\u00aded a woman of unpar\u00adal\u00adleled genius, a shin\u00ading Com\u00admu\u00adnist Queen of Roma\u00adnia. If any ref\u00ader\u00adences to the fraud sur\u00advive, they will be dis\u00admissed as pro\u00adpa\u00adgan\u00adda from jeal\u00adous ene\u00admies, out\u00adweighed by the \u201cbal\u00adance\u201d of evi\u00addence. His\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans want shin\u00ading queens, not sor\u00addid lit\u00adtle brain\u00adless sluts who gig\u00adgle while they order sci\u00aden\u00adtists and poets to be dragged to the base\u00adment and tor\u00adtured with elec\u00adtric cat\u00adtle prods. Fidel Cas\u00adtro imag\u00adined him\u00adself an expert on agron\u00ado\u00admy and ani\u00admal hus\u00adbandry, and his idi\u00adot\u00adic decrees reduced Cuban agri\u00adcul\u00adture to a sham\u00adbles, but I can find no end of ref\u00ader\u00adences to his genius in the mat\u00adter. Mao Zedong\u2019s delu\u00adsions that he was an expert on steel man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adture not only wrecked the Chi\u00adnese econ\u00ado\u00admy, and killed off tens of mil\u00adlions in famine, but pro\u00adduced no usable steel. Yet China\u2019s lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture and his\u00adto\u00adry books are now full of his imag\u00adi\u00adnary accom\u00adplish\u00adments, and prac\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly none of China\u2019s bil\u00adlion peo\u00adple have any oth\u00ader source of infor\u00adma\u00adtion. Even though the evi\u00addence for the truth is irrefutable, it will grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly be sup\u00adpressed in the rest of the world, too, as the historian\u2019s instinct to glo\u00adri\u00adfy the pow\u00ader\u00adful, because they are pow\u00ader\u00adful, grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly over\u00adcomes mere truth. In a cen\u00adtu\u00adry, Hitler\u2019s rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion as a mon\u00adster will fade, under the same impulse, which will be unchecked when the last of the sur\u00advivors of the Holo\u00adcaust die off. He will morph into that clever guy who briefly \u201cuni\u00adfied Europe\u201d and built the Auto\u00adbahn. After all, he was an \u201cartist\u201d, and an artist couldn\u2019t real\u00adly do bad things, unless com\u00adpelled to by polit\u00adi\u00adcal neces\u00adsi\u00adty. Sure\u00adly some\u00adone who paint\u00aded such charm\u00ading water-colours could not have been a bad man. There will be dra\u00admas filmed in which he is shown sur\u00adround\u00aded by his archi\u00adtec\u00adtur\u00adal mod\u00adels, look\u00ading up from his sketch\u00adbook, and tear\u00adful\u00adly philosophis\u00ading about the trag\u00adic neces\u00adsi\u00adty that com\u00adpelled him to resolve the Jew\u00adish Prob\u00adlem. There won\u2019t be a dry eye in the house.<\/span><\/p>\n

An inter\u00adest\u00ading vari\u00adant of the Emper\u00ador Josef Wrote Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni Syn\u00addrome is the Tory Inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtion of wealth cre\u00adation. This is the belief that whomev\u00ader hap\u00adpens to be rich\u00adest and most pow\u00ader\u00adful, or live in the biggest hous\u00ades, must be the cre\u00adators and gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtors of a society\u2019s wealth. You could see this atti\u00adtude in the \u201ctrick\u00adle down\u201d non\u00adsense ped\u00addled by Neo-Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive econ\u00ado\u00admists back in the days of Ronald Rea\u00adgan, and still taught in many macro-eco\u00adnom\u00adic text\u00adbooks. A noto\u00adri\u00adous\u00adly dis\u00adas\u00adtrous tax\u00ada\u00adtion pol\u00adi\u00adcy was based on it, but there is no short\u00adage of peo\u00adple today eager to repeat it. The argu\u00adment was that tax breaks should be giv\u00aden to the rich, because rich peo\u00adple are the \u201cpro\u00adduc\u00adtive class\u201d, the engine of eco\u00adnom\u00adic cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty, and if they have low\u00ader tax\u00ades, then they will auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly invest their wealth in cre\u00adat\u00ading new wealth. Every\u00adone will be bet\u00adter off, because their cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty will gen\u00ader\u00adate so much wealth that the ben\u00ade\u00adfits will \u201ctrick\u00adle down\u201d to the mid\u00addle class and the poor, who will then gen\u00ader\u00adate more tax rev\u00adenue. It all pre\u00adsumed that the rich are the \u201ccre\u00adative\u201d com\u00adpo\u00adnent of the econ\u00ado\u00admy. It was bull\u00adshit, of course. In the econ\u00ado\u00admy of a coun\u00adtry like Unit\u00aded States or Cana\u00adda, new enter\u00adpris\u00ades and wealth have always been cre\u00adat\u00aded by peo\u00adple with\u00adout mon\u00adey, who are try\u00ading to make some, not by those who were already rich. It is the num\u00adber of bur\u00addens and restric\u00adtions on those peo\u00adple, the strug\u00adgling have-nots, that deter\u00admines whether new wealth will be gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded. Invest\u00adment in new enter\u00adpris\u00ades by rich peo\u00adple plays lit\u00adtle part in the suc\u00adcess of these enter\u00adpris\u00ades \u2015 the bulk of invest\u00adment cap\u00adi\u00adtal comes from pen\u00adsion funds, bank deposits, and var\u00adi\u00adous forms of pooled sav\u00adings gen\u00ader\u00adat\u00aded by peo\u00adple of mod\u00adest means.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the height of the \u201cReaganomics\u201d fol\u00adly, use\u00adful gov\u00adern\u00adment ser\u00advices were cut back, while use\u00adless ones were pre\u00adserved, and eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly destruc\u00adtive mil\u00adi\u00adtary spend\u00ading was increased. Since tax\u00ades on the wealthy were cut back, every\u00adone else took up a heav\u00adier tax bur\u00adden, and it was pre\u00adcise\u00adly these peo\u00adple, the ones who actu\u00adal\u00adly pro\u00adduce new enter\u00adpris\u00ades and new wealth, who were sti\u00adfled. The rich did not invest their wind\u00adfall of cash in new enter\u00adpris\u00ades at all. Instead, they did what the rich always pre\u00adfer to do: they export\u00aded their cap\u00adi\u00adtal to oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries, ploughed it into estab\u00adlished and pro\u00adtect\u00aded busi\u00adness, or spent it on real estate. No amount of buy\u00ading real estate gen\u00ader\u00adates new wealth. It mere\u00adly gen\u00ader\u00adates emp\u00adty spec\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtive bub\u00adbles. Neo-Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive dog\u00adma also man\u00addat\u00aded infi\u00adnite\u00adly expand\u00ading spend\u00ading on the mil\u00adi\u00adtary. This is an eco\u00adnom\u00adic dead end that fur\u00adther exports cap\u00adi\u00adtal, or turns it into fire\u00adcrack\u00aders. These trends could only cre\u00adate mas\u00adsive debts and par\u00ada\u00adlyze eco\u00adnom\u00adic cre\u00adativ\u00adi\u00adty. The occa\u00adsion\u00adal tech\u00adni\u00adcal spin\u00adoff from mil\u00adi\u00adtary tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy does not come close to off\u00adset\u00adting these los\u00ades. These results have, in fact, come to pass in the Unit\u00aded States, a sad jour\u00adney to bank\u00adrupt\u00adcy that can be chart\u00aded in a spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar upward arrow of nation\u00adal debt, start\u00ading in Rea\u00adgan\u2019s first term. If you don\u2019t care for charts, you can just look out the win\u00addow, and learn the same thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under\u00adly\u00ading all this eco\u00adnom\u00adic dis\u00adas\u00adter was the notion that those who have received and accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded wealth must, ipso fac\u00adto, be the peo\u00adple who cre\u00adat\u00aded it. Now, it is some\u00adtimes true, in par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar cas\u00ades, that indi\u00advid\u00adual wealth can be traced to cre\u00adative enter\u00adprise in the per\u00adson who has it, but the bulk of great wealth in the Unit\u00aded States and Cana\u00adda has been accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded through hold\u00ading cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions and oth\u00ader eco\u00adnom\u00adic mech\u00ada\u00adnisms by which already exist\u00ading enter\u00adpris\u00ades are bought up (and some\u00adtimes gut\u00adted and ruined), Increas\u00ading\u00adly, they just come from hand\u00adouts from the tax\u00adpay\u00ader \u2015 like the thir\u00adty bil\u00adlion dol\u00adlars in sub\u00adsi\u00addies giv\u00aden to six sug\u00adar indus\u00adtry fam\u00adi\u00adlies in Flori\u00adda, quid-pro-noth\u00ading. The tax\u00ada\u00adtion and bank\u00ading sys\u00adtems are rigged to force the inven\u00adtors and cre\u00adators of new enter\u00adpris\u00ades to hand them over to hold\u00ading cor\u00adpo\u00adra\u00adtions, which per\u00adform no func\u00adtion oth\u00ader than to own them, and divert prof\u00adits to their key share\u00adhold\u00aders. These share\u00adhold\u00aders are, by and large, already wealthy fam\u00adi\u00adlies, who pre\u00adserved their wealth over gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtions through trust funds, foun\u00adda\u00adtions, and oth\u00ader legal devices not avail\u00adable to small\u00ader prop\u00ader\u00adty own\u00aders. They hire pro\u00adfes\u00adsion\u00adal man\u00adagers to man\u00adage the process. There is a minor cre\u00adative com\u00adpo\u00adnent \u2015 some par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar con\u00adfig\u00adu\u00adra\u00adtions of these accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded enter\u00adpris\u00ades work bet\u00adter than oth\u00aders \u2015 but for the last half cen\u00adtu\u00adry it has been quite rare for any\u00adone who cre\u00adat\u00aded a new prod\u00aduct, or devel\u00adoped a new process, or invent\u00aded some\u00adthing, or built an enter\u00adprise from scratch, to retain con\u00adtrol or own\u00ader\u00adship of it past its ini\u00adtial stages. Banks, for exam\u00adple, start pres\u00adsur\u00ading entre\u00adpre\u00adneurs to relin\u00adquish con\u00adtrol the sec\u00adond their enter\u00adpris\u00ades start to show a prof\u00adit, usu\u00adal\u00adly suc\u00adceed\u00ading to oust them at the point were invest\u00adment cap\u00adi\u00adtal is crit\u00adi\u00adcal. Tax\u00ada\u00adtion is, and has always been, set up to favour large hold\u00adings over small enter\u00adprise. Val\u00adue Added tax\u00ades, for exam\u00adple, always pop\u00adu\u00adlar with estab\u00adlished pow\u00ader, auto\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly ben\u00ade\u00adfit exist\u00ading large enter\u00adpris\u00ades, since small enter\u00adpris\u00ades must depend on a greater per\u00adcent\u00adage of exter\u00adnal trans\u00adac\u00adtions. This, and hun\u00addreds of oth\u00ader sub\u00adtle pres\u00adsures, act to shove the results of cre\u00adative enter\u00adprise into the hands of a wealthy minor\u00adi\u00adty who can\u00adnot, by any stretch of the imag\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion, be described as the \u201cengine\u201d or the \u201ccre\u00adative force\u201d of wealth. These process\u00ades have noth\u00ading to do with the oper\u00ada\u00adtions of a free mar\u00adket. They are invari\u00adably deter\u00admined by law, and by gov\u00adern\u00adment policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Such prac\u00adtices are not exclu\u00adsive to an indus\u00adtri\u00adal econ\u00ado\u00admy or the prod\u00aduct of \u201cmoder\u00adni\u00adty\u201d. Among native cul\u00adtures of the Amer\u00adi\u00adc\u00adas, for exam\u00adple, there is a long his\u00adto\u00adry of long-dis\u00adtance trade. This trade depend\u00aded on the dis\u00adcov\u00adery and main\u00adte\u00adnance of trade routes, which was often the result of the indi\u00advid\u00adual enter\u00adprise of ambi\u00adtious explor\u00aders, who would risk life and limb to map out and estab\u00adlish them. This risky and dif\u00adfi\u00adcult activ\u00adi\u00adty was open to any\u00adone, and, in the\u00ado\u00adry, much of the result\u00ading prof\u00adits would come to the entre\u00adpre\u00adneur. But most of the soci\u00adeties that engaged in this type of trade were divid\u00aded into clans. These clans were, in the\u00ado\u00adry, sup\u00adposed to be equal enti\u00adties, but there were ways of manip\u00adu\u00adlat\u00ading the exist\u00ading cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adni\u00adal, reli\u00adgious, and polit\u00adi\u00adcal insti\u00adtu\u00adtions to accu\u00admu\u00adlate pres\u00adtige and spe\u00adcial pow\u00aders in favoured clans. These clan-based soci\u00adeties had pro\u00adto-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic con\u00adcil\u00adiar gov\u00adern\u00adment, but the pos\u00adses\u00adsion of sacred bun\u00addles or totems, gains and loss\u00ades in war, and accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded polit\u00adi\u00adcal pay\u00adoffs pre\u00adsent\u00aded open\u00adings for assert\u00ading an aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic or favoured sta\u00adtus. The lead\u00ading fig\u00adures in these pre\u00adferred clans rarely under\u00adtook to cre\u00adate new trade routes them\u00adselves, but they had a way of accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00ading own\u00ader\u00adship of them. Entre\u00adpre\u00adneurs would face rit\u00adu\u00adal and cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adni\u00adal demands, need spe\u00adcial per\u00admis\u00adsions or face harass\u00adment through the coun\u00adcils, need loans, go bank\u00adrupt, and so on. Soon\u00ader or lat\u00ader, all the trade routes and their prof\u00adits would belong to the pre-emi\u00adnent clan, which had done noth\u00ading to cre\u00adate them. Dur\u00ading the peri\u00adods when tribes cre\u00adat\u00aded new wealth, explored and devel\u00adoped new trade routes and link\u00adages, the work was done large\u00adly by entre\u00adpre\u00adneurs in low-pres\u00adtige clans, but dur\u00ading the peri\u00adods of eco\u00adnom\u00adic decline, it was usu\u00adal\u00adly sewn up in the pow\u00ader of a sin\u00adgle clan, or a sin\u00adgle fam\u00adi\u00adly. If you asked the head of that clan who had \u201cmade\u201d the wealth, you can be pret\u00adty sure of what answer you would get, and pret\u00adty sure that it was wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a pat\u00adtern that would be famil\u00adiar to a cit\u00adi\u00adzen of Detroit, or 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry Man\u00adches\u00adter, or any \u201cone-indus\u00adtry town\u201d that went into pre\u00adcip\u00adi\u00adtous decline after its brief day in the sun. Exam\u00adples of this process can be found every\u00adwhere from Medieval Europe to Com\u00admu\u00adnist Chi\u00adna, from head\u00adhunt\u00ading vil\u00adlages in remote jun\u00adgles to cor\u00adpo\u00adrate board\u00adrooms in New York. Elites do it when\u00adev\u00ader they can get away with it, in any place and any time, and the same mis-iden\u00adti\u00adfic\u00adtion of the \u201ccre\u00adative ele\u00adment\u201d can expected,<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been led to reflect on this dur\u00ading my recent read\u00ading. His\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans and archae\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgists are try\u00ading to imag\u00adine how agri\u00adcul\u00adture orig\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded, and how it spread. The archae\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal evi\u00addence, of course, is only use\u00adful if inter\u00adpret\u00aded, and the inter\u00adpre\u00adta\u00adtions depend on ideas of what sort of thing caus\u00ades what, of how soci\u00adeties, and economies work in gen\u00ader\u00adal. I find the prob\u00adlem very inter\u00adest\u00ading, because these very abstract ideas appear in the raw, so to speak. There are so few facts \u2015 most\u00adly assem\u00adblages of site mate\u00adri\u00adals, our ever-chang\u00ading knowl\u00adedge of ani\u00admal and plant biol\u00ado\u00adgy, cli\u00admate his\u00adto\u00adry, and com\u00adpet\u00ading the\u00ado\u00adries of pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion dynam\u00adics and ecol\u00ado\u00adgy. This is not the sort of thing you can solve by find\u00ading a chron\u00adi\u00adcle in a monastery.<\/span><\/p>\n

What strikes me is that most of the the\u00ado\u00adriz\u00ading seems to fol\u00adlow one or anoth\u00ader, or some\u00adtimes a fusion, of these two ver\u00adsions of the Emper\u00ador Josef Wrote Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni Syn\u00addrome. It appears to be accept\u00aded, with\u00adout any skep\u00adti\u00adcism, by most the\u00ado\u00adreti\u00adcians on the sub\u00adject, that elite pow\u00ader of some sort was the source of ancient inno\u00adva\u00adtions. This is an old shib\u00adbo\u00adleth. Cities were \u201ccre\u00adat\u00aded\u201d by tem\u00adple elites and kings. Agri\u00adcul\u00adture was \u201cmade pos\u00adsi\u00adble\u201d by social strat\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion. In fact, a maze of intel\u00adlec\u00adtu\u00adal con\u00adstruc\u00adtions have depend\u00aded, ever since the days of Gor\u00addon Childe, on defin\u00ading \u201csocial com\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty\u201d as the pres\u00adence of ranked priv\u00adiledge and pow\u00ader. The scheme of an inevitable \u201cevo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary process\u201d in which progress is deter\u00admined by the appear\u00adance of pow\u00ader\u00adful chief\u00adtains, priest\u00adhoods, and then kings and mper\u00adors, was tak\u00aden to be the very essence of civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion. The the\u00ado\u00adret\u00adi\u00adcal land\u00adscape is still dom\u00adi\u00adnat\u00aded by squab\u00adbles about exact\u00adly how this \u201ccom\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty\u201d comes into being, and what abstract forces (cli\u00admate, pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion pres\u00adsure, reli\u00adgion, \u201ccar\u00adry\u00ading capac\u00adi\u00adty\u201d) cre\u00adat\u00aded the social inequal\u00adi\u00adty that marks \u201ccom\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty\u201d. It is sim\u00adply tak\u00aden for grant\u00aded, with\u00adout ques\u00adtion, that who\u00adev\u00ader holds the most wealth or pow\u00ader, has the high\u00adest sta\u00adtus, or com\u00admands the most fear, must be respon\u00adsi\u00adble for tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal change, the intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of new lifestyles, any increase in pro\u00adduc\u00adtiv\u00adi\u00adty, or any\u00adthing per\u00adceived as an advance. This is our old friend Emper\u00ador Josef, again.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m pleased that there is start\u00ading to be some small, ten\u00adta\u00adtive steps towards rec\u00adog\u00adniz\u00ading the impor\u00adtance of trade in such his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal events as the domes\u00adti\u00adca\u00adtion of ani\u00admals and plants, the devel\u00adop\u00adment of vil\u00adlage life, the spread of agri\u00adcul\u00adture from region to region, and the devel\u00adop\u00adment of the first cities. His\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans began by imag\u00adin\u00ading that trade didn\u2019t even exist in ancient times, that it was some\u00adthing that devel\u00adoped late human his\u00adto\u00adry. Grad\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly, they were forced by accu\u00admu\u00adlat\u00aded evi\u00addence to acknowl\u00adedge that it exist\u00aded in ancient civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtions, then in ear\u00adly urban cen\u00adters, then in ear\u00adly vil\u00adlage life, and even in non-seden\u00adtary life, though they squirmed con\u00adstant\u00adly to rede\u00adfine it or qual\u00adi\u00adfy it in some way that made it appear less \u201ccom\u00admer\u00adcial\u201d when\u00adev\u00ader they could. I have nev\u00ader felt such dis\u00adcom\u00adfort. I begin with the assump\u00adtion that trade is built into human cul\u00adture from its ear\u00adli\u00adest stages. In fact, I see trade as prob\u00ada\u00adbly being the activ\u00adi\u00adty that brought about many of the changes that have been attrib\u00aduted to \u201ccom\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty\u201d. I see domes\u00adti\u00adca\u00adtion, vil\u00adlage life, urban\u00adiza\u00adtion, and changes in tech\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy as side-effects of trade \u2015 a cumu\u00adla\u00adtive chain of cau\u00adsa\u00adtion link\u00ading social and tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal devel\u00adop\u00adments with trad\u00ading activ\u00adi\u00adty, going back into the dimmest recess\u00ades of time. I see trade as an essen\u00adtial\u00adly co-oper\u00ada\u00adtive activ\u00adi\u00adty, close\u00adly linked to the same psy\u00adchol\u00ado\u00adgy that pro\u00adduces egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan polit\u00adi\u00adcal institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some few the\u00ado\u00adreti\u00adcians do, nowa\u00addays, see a role for trade in these ques\u00adtions, but unfor\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, they seem to approach it from the Emper\u00ador Josef point of view, and try to fig\u00adure out how social inequal\u00adi\u00adty caus\u00ades trade, or trade depends on inequal\u00adi\u00adty. When\u00adev\u00ader archae\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal evi\u00addence sug\u00adgests a cor\u00adre\u00adla\u00adtion, the wrong causal direc\u00adtion is inferred. Because pres\u00adtige buri\u00adals appear in agri\u00adcul\u00adtur\u00adal vil\u00adlages, it is assumed that the skele\u00adtons in those pres\u00adtige buri\u00adals must have been the deter\u00admi\u00adnants, the cause, the cre\u00adators of agri\u00adcul\u00adture, just as in ear\u00adli\u00ader con\u00adtro\u00adver\u00adsies about the for\u00adma\u00adtion of cities in Mesopotamia, it was assumed the priests in the tem\u00adples must have cre\u00adat\u00aded urban\u00adism. In fact, I think we can bet\u00adter hypoth\u00ade\u00adsize, and that we will even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly demon\u00adstrate clear\u00adly, that trade cre\u00adat\u00aded the vil\u00adlages, cre\u00adat\u00aded agri\u00adcul\u00adture, cre\u00adat\u00aded pas\u00adtoral\u00adism, cre\u00adat\u00aded the ear\u00adly cities \u2015 and that the Chiefs and Big Men, and the Tem\u00adples and the Priests and the Kings were all, at var\u00adi\u00adous times, non-cre\u00adative and non-pro\u00adduc\u00adtive phe\u00adnom\u00ade\u00adna that exploit\u00aded open\u00adings and vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties in those communities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The error of inverse causal\u00adi\u00adty is sim\u00adi\u00adlar to some\u00adone con\u00adclud\u00ading that, since the pres\u00adence of cars in any soci\u00adety is always accom\u00adpa\u00adnied by the pres\u00adence of car theft, then it must be car thieves who invent\u00aded cars.<\/span><\/p>\n

The pres\u00adence of social rank\u00ading in a soci\u00adety does not con\u00adsti\u00adtute \u201ccom\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty\u201d. It is, on the con\u00adtrary, a gross over-sim\u00adpli\u00adca\u00adtion of some\u00adthing pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly com\u00adplex. It is the main\u00adte\u00adnance of social equal\u00adi\u00adty that requires social com\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty, in the form of checks and bal\u00adances, divi\u00adsions of pow\u00ader, insti\u00adtu\u00adtions of con\u00adsul\u00adta\u00adtion, com\u00adpro\u00admise and con\u00adsent. When this true com\u00adplex\u00adi\u00adty breaks down, a much crud\u00ader, less sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded form of social orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion replaces it: a big tough guy makes you do stuff, and if you don\u2019t do it, he hits you or kills you. There is absolute\u00adly no evi\u00addence that such big tough guys are pro\u00adduc\u00aders of wealth, inno\u00adva\u00adtions, or \u201cevo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary\u201d advances in any\u00adthing. Their grave mounds or pyra\u00admids or tem\u00adples are not proof that they pro\u00adduced any\u00adthing. They are mere\u00adly evi\u00addence that the soci\u00adeties in ques\u00adtion pos\u00adsessed some\u00adthing worth steal\u00ading, and failed to pre\u00advent it from being stolen.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we look at the archae\u00ado\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal record of Uruk, the first known city, we see it begin\u00adning with a rapid increase in pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion, accom\u00adpa\u00adnied by evi\u00addence of extreme\u00adly active long-dis\u00adtance trade. This con\u00adcen\u00adtrates in one point, the city, clear\u00adly placed in a place ide\u00adal for the con\u00adjunc\u00adtion of trade from four direc\u00adtions, each access\u00ading dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dif\u00adfer\u00adent prod\u00aducts. It is sur\u00adround\u00aded by a net\u00adwork of pros\u00adper\u00adous ham\u00adlets and indi\u00advid\u00adual land\u00adhold\u00adings, and inter\u00adacts intense\u00adly with tran\u00adshu\u00admant spe\u00adcial\u00adists who move in and out. Mod\u00adest tem\u00adples are attend\u00aded with offer\u00adings of fish, the ini\u00adtial sta\u00adple of the region, but the city is pro\u00adduc\u00ading tex\u00adtiles for export. Agri\u00adcul\u00adture is rapid\u00adly expand\u00ading, based on a sys\u00adtem of irri\u00adga\u00adtion man\u00adaged by local com\u00admit\u00adtees and coun\u00adcils, of which we have clear evi\u00addence. The city itself has a council.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, in a very rapid alter\u00adation, the tem\u00adple turns into an immense\u00adly wealthy orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion, domes\u00adtic man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adture of tex\u00adtiles is replaced by tem\u00adple pro\u00adduc\u00adtion based on slave labour, and large chunks of land are con\u00advert\u00aded to a dif\u00adfer\u00adent, more cen\u00adtral\u00adized form of irri\u00adga\u00adtion, one pos\u00adsi\u00adble only when the land is assigned to share\u00adcrop\u00adpers and depen\u00addents, admin\u00adis\u00adtered by a bureau\u00adcra\u00adcy. Kings and nobil\u00adi\u00adty appear, sub\u00advert\u00ading and dis\u00adman\u00adtling the city coun\u00adcil. There is an orgy of war\u00adfare, and con\u00adstruc\u00adtion of palaces and expand\u00aded tem\u00adple buildings.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a very short time after this meta\u00admor\u00adpho\u00adsis, the web of out\u00adly\u00ading vil\u00adlages col\u00adlaps\u00ades, and the coun\u00adtry\u00adside rapid\u00adly depop\u00adu\u00adlates. The pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion of the city briefly swells, as peo\u00adple seek refuge from the eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly dead coun\u00adtry\u00adside. Unem\u00adployed mobs riot, the aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy cracks down. Tech\u00adni\u00adcal man\u00adage\u00adment van\u00adish\u00ades. The irri\u00adga\u00adtion sys\u00adtems dis\u00adin\u00adte\u00adgrate. Food van\u00adish\u00ades. The social sys\u00adtem col\u00adlaps\u00ades. The pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion flees, and the city shriv\u00adels into a pile of dust. The Mesopotami\u00adan plain is cov\u00adered with hun\u00addreds of piles of dust. George Bush, Hal\u00adibur\u00adton, and Com\u00adpa\u00adny are cur\u00adrent\u00adly cre\u00adat\u00ading some new ones.<\/span><\/p>\n

What we see here is not social hier\u00adar\u00adchy cre\u00adat\u00ading a city, but the crude over\u00adsim\u00adpli\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtion of hier\u00adar\u00adchy destroy\u00ading a city that was cre\u00adat\u00aded by the far more sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded and com\u00adplex process of social equality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Again and again, this process of com\u00adplex equal\u00adi\u00adty being destroyed by crude inequal\u00adi\u00adty would be repeat\u00aded. Urban civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtions would go through it every time the pro\u00adduc\u00adtive efforts of ordi\u00adnary peo\u00adple pro\u00adduced some\u00adthing worth stealing.<\/span><\/p>\n

I think we will even\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly come to the con\u00adclu\u00adsion that this strug\u00adgle between the pro\u00adduc\u00aders and the thieves is ongo\u00ading, char\u00adac\u00adter\u00adis\u00adtic of all soci\u00adeties at all times. The egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan hunter-gath\u00ader\u00ader soci\u00adeties of pre\u00adhis\u00adto\u00adry were not unchal\u00adlenged by hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcal pre\u00adda\u00adtion. The chal\u00adlenge always exist\u00aded, but there were long stretch\u00ades of stand\u00adoff in the per\u00adma\u00adnent cold-war. [see Sixth Med\u00adi\u00adta\u00adtion on Democ\u00adra\u00adcy]. How\u00adev\u00ader, each inno\u00adva\u00adtion \u2015 fish\u00ading tech\u00adniques, new lux\u00adu\u00adry goods, met\u00adal\u00adlur\u00adgy, hor\u00adti\u00adcul\u00adture, ani\u00admal hus\u00adbandry, arbori\u00adcul\u00adture, vini\u00adcul\u00adture, domes\u00adti\u00adca\u00adtion, dehe\u00adsas; new cer\u00ade\u00admo\u00adni\u00adal and reli\u00adgious prac\u00adtices \u2015 opened up a new angle, a new oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adty for pow\u00ader seek\u00aders to exploit, which had to be coun\u00adtered by some egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan strat\u00ade\u00adgy. Dis\u00adas\u00adters, dis\u00adease, cli\u00admate change, migra\u00adtions had the same effect. When\u00adev\u00ader some\u00adthing changes, there will be some\u00adbody up there in a flash, explain\u00ading con\u00advinc\u00ading\u00adly why you now need to start tak\u00ading orders. There\u2019s always a Patri\u00adot Act lurk\u00ading around the cor\u00adner. I sus\u00adpect that the wave of changes that took place in the mil\u00adlen\u00adnia start\u00ading in the Mesolith\u00adic, and pro\u00adceed\u00ading through antiq\u00adui\u00adty, rep\u00adre\u00adsent an era when egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan respons\u00ades could not keep up with hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcal challenges.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is quite anal\u00ado\u00adgous to our bio\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal rela\u00adtion\u00adship to infec\u00adtious dis\u00adease. Some infec\u00adtious dis\u00adeases are known as \u201cDDDs\u201d (Den\u00adsi\u00adty Depen\u00addent Dis\u00adeases), because they can\u00adnot sus\u00adtain infec\u00adtions out\u00adside of dense pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions. His\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, when we have sought the eco\u00adnom\u00adic and social advan\u00adtages of crowd\u00aded cities, we have simul\u00adta\u00adne\u00adous\u00adly made our\u00adselves more vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adble to such dis\u00adeases, to which we have much less evo\u00adlu\u00adtion\u00adary expe\u00adri\u00adence. From the time that we first cre\u00adat\u00aded cities, until we final\u00adly devel\u00adoped effec\u00adtive strate\u00adgies against dis\u00adease, a cen\u00adtu\u00adry ago, we paid a heavy price in mor\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty and suf\u00adfer\u00ading for the ben\u00ade\u00adfits of city life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vil\u00adlage life, agri\u00adcul\u00adture, cities, brought new wealth and new com\u00adforts, but they opened up new vul\u00adner\u00ada\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adties, as well. Grow crops, and a king needs only a small army to screw you up at har\u00advest time. Best cut a deal and let him \u201cpro\u00adtect\u201d you, for a price. What hap\u00adpened to the vil\u00adlage coun\u00adcil? Oh, now it\u2019s the King\u2019s coun\u00adcil. Where\u2019s the lit\u00adtle tem\u00adple where grand-dad went to make an offer\u00ading, rejoic\u00ading at the boun\u00adti\u00adful har\u00advest on his plot of land? Now it\u2019s a big tem\u00adple, and half the har\u00advest is tak\u00aden, not giv\u00aden, and the plot of land ain\u2019t yours, it\u2019s theirs. New ploys, new scams, new demands, com\u00ading faster than the old pro\u00adtec\u00adtive strate\u00adgies can deal with, cul\u00admi\u00adnat\u00ading in the bru\u00adtal slave empires of antiq\u00adui\u00adty. We have only very slow\u00adly devel\u00adoped appro\u00adpri\u00adate counter-mea\u00adsures, and those only par\u00adtial\u00adly effec\u00adtive. But we should not make the error of assum\u00ading that, because aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, monar\u00adchy, and tyran\u00adny held sway for cen\u00adturies, that they were cre\u00adative forces. They are no more \u201crespon\u00adsi\u00adble\u201d for cre\u00adat\u00ading civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion than dis\u00adease is respon\u00adsi\u00adble for cre\u00adat\u00ading cities. To assume so is to lose sight of exact\u00adly who it was who com\u00adposed Don Giovanni.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a con\u00adsis\u00adtent pat\u00adtern, among those who describe soci\u00adeties and economies, past and present, to reverse cause and effect in sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcant events. I would like to dub this the Emper\u00ador Josef Wrote Don Gio\u00advan\u00adni Syn\u00addrome. This is the tendency \u2026<\/p>\n

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