Pre-industrial society refers to specific social attributes and forms of political and cultural organization that were prevalent before the advent of the Industrial Revolution.
Preindustrial life was easy on resources - both human and natural. Before capitalism, most people did not work very long hours. The tempo of life was slow, even leisurely; the pace of work relaxed.
In a vast number of ways and places, the biosphere of this planet is undergoing a great deal of damage. Parts of the environment have already been rendered uninhabitable through toxic wastes and nuclear power plant disasters, while systemic pollution, ozone holes, global warming, and other disasters are increasingly tearing the fabric on which all life depends. That such damage is wrought overwhelmingly by corporations in a competitive international market economy has never been clearer, while the need to replace the existing society with one such as social ecology advances has never been more urgent.
Preindustrial life was easy on resources - both human and natural. Before capitalism, most people did not work very long hours. The tempo of life was slow, even leisurely; the pace of work relaxed.
In a vast number of ways and places, the biosphere of this planet is undergoing a great deal of damage. Parts of the environment have already been rendered uninhabitable through toxic wastes and nuclear power plant disasters, while systemic pollution, ozone holes, global warming, and other disasters are increasingly tearing the fabric on which all life depends. That such damage is wrought overwhelmingly by corporations in a competitive international market economy has never been clearer, while the need to replace the existing society with one such as social ecology advances has never been more urgent.
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“Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises. The gigantic industrial enterprises are products of a godless civilization, and they cause the destruction of the noble aims of human life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general, although a few only can live lavishly by exploitation. The natural gifts such as grains and vegetables, fruits, rivers, the hills of jewels and minerals, and the seas full of pearls are supplied by the order of the Supreme, and as He desires, material nature produces them in abundance or restricts them at times.” |
Modernization, the replacement of machines for muscle, is a universal social solvent. Even when resisted by traditional leaders, modernization erodes established social, economic patterns, and threatens ecosystems.
Our concern is not how to worship in the catacombs but how to remain human in the skyscrapers.
~Abraham Joshua Heschel
Peasants and tribal members ultimately succumb to mechanisms yielding enhanced productivity. They rapidly scrap traditional practices in favor of those more materially productive.
Our ancestors may not have been rich, but they had an abundance of leisure. The contrast between capitalist and precapitalist work patterns is most striking in respect to the working year. The medieval calendar was filled with holidays. Official -that is, church - holidays included not only long "vacations" at Christmas, Easter, and midsummer but also numerous saints' and rest days. These were spent both in sober churchgoing and in feasting. In addition to official celebrations, there were often weeks' worth of ales -- to mark important life events. All told, holiday leisure time in medieval England took up probably about one-third of the year. And the English were apparently working harder than their neighbors. The ancient regime in France is reported to have guaranteed fifty-two Sundays, ninety rest days, and thirty-eight holidays. In Spain, travelers noted that holidays totaled five months per year. The peasant's free time extended beyond officially sanctioned holidays. A thirteenth-century study finds that whole peasant families did not put in more than 150 days per year on their land. Manorial records from fourteenth-century England indicate an extremely short working year - 175 days.
Our ancestors may not have been rich, but they had an abundance of leisure. The contrast between capitalist and precapitalist work patterns is most striking in respect to the working year. The medieval calendar was filled with holidays. Official -that is, church - holidays included not only long "vacations" at Christmas, Easter, and midsummer but also numerous saints' and rest days. These were spent both in sober churchgoing and in feasting. In addition to official celebrations, there were often weeks' worth of ales -- to mark important life events. All told, holiday leisure time in medieval England took up probably about one-third of the year. And the English were apparently working harder than their neighbors. The ancient regime in France is reported to have guaranteed fifty-two Sundays, ninety rest days, and thirty-eight holidays. In Spain, travelers noted that holidays totaled five months per year. The peasant's free time extended beyond officially sanctioned holidays. A thirteenth-century study finds that whole peasant families did not put in more than 150 days per year on their land. Manorial records from fourteenth-century England indicate an extremely short working year - 175 days.
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“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” |
Some attributes of the pre-industrial societies
* Limited production (i.e. artisanship and no mass production)
* Primarily an agricultural economy
* Limited division of labor - Capitalism needs a vast amount of specialized knowledge and skills due to the complex nature of industrial production. In pre-industrial societies, production was relatively simple and, thus, the number of specialized crafts was limited.
* Limited variation of social classes
* Parochialism- Communications were limited between human communities in pre-industrial societies. Few had a chance to see or hear beyond their own village. Knowledge was traditional and in most cases, amazingly authentic. For example, old sea maps used by early sailors were amazingly accurate and they can only be drawn from satellite pictures. So we do not yet know who made them and how they were drawn.
* Pre-industrial societies developed largely in rural communities as compared to modern civilization which has developed largely in urban areas.
* Limited production (i.e. artisanship and no mass production)
* Primarily an agricultural economy
* Limited division of labor - Capitalism needs a vast amount of specialized knowledge and skills due to the complex nature of industrial production. In pre-industrial societies, production was relatively simple and, thus, the number of specialized crafts was limited.
* Limited variation of social classes
* Parochialism- Communications were limited between human communities in pre-industrial societies. Few had a chance to see or hear beyond their own village. Knowledge was traditional and in most cases, amazingly authentic. For example, old sea maps used by early sailors were amazingly accurate and they can only be drawn from satellite pictures. So we do not yet know who made them and how they were drawn.
* Pre-industrial societies developed largely in rural communities as compared to modern civilization which has developed largely in urban areas.
“I have traveled across the length and breath of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such caliber (of noble character), that I do not think we would ever conquer this country………..unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is her spiritual and cultural heritage.”
-Lord MCLau, British colonial, on February 2, 1835
