The Noble Lie

Thanks, and peace. That's sort of what was going through my head making these comments. I really don't think cavemen were crying out that they didn't know how many skins their spear was worth. There is archaeological evidence that agriculture (which can be stockpiled and guarded), the non-nomadic lifestyle, and caste systems (with dozens of tiny huts and large estates for the masters) sprung up together side by side. Money was part of this equation too, and banker-priests to control the value of money. For better and for worse, 'civilizing man' and 'domesticating man' are almost synonymous. That takes breaking the natural tribe/clan structure, where everyone for the most part truly did share everything, and had to work together to ensure their own survival and prosperity. Especially with nomadic peoples, when what you "own" is limited to what you can carry. It's hard for an outsider to impose an artificial system on top of that. The nuclear family is a pale facsimile to the clan, and even that is going away now. A successful city-state must account for all of the natural urges, so those who design them must understand these urges if they want their city to stand. I think natural urges always overtake artificial systems, unless they are factored very carefully into the "equations." The aggressive urge can be sated with gladiatorial games, sports, and nowadays violent movies, video games, etc. The sexual urge was ruthlessly repressed under most religions, and is now safely short-circuited with birth control. The urge to love and take care of others is channeled into a profession which generates a profit for some. I could go on and on, so I'll wrap this up here. Most of us, even those of us who speak out, the system has their hooks in us in various places. I don't know how well I'd survive "decivilization," but at this point I'm just about game to try.