-Caveat Lector- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: P.R.Sarkar's Law of Social Cycles 1/5 Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 00:20:39 -0100 From: Nurev Ind Research <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Organization: Nurev Independent Research BCC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The following are encapsulations of the important points ( as I see them ) of P.R.Sarkar's - Law of Social Cycles. I have never read Sarkar directly. I'm not sure that he is available in English. What I know, I know through the writings of Dr. Ravi Batra the economist. Having come from the left, and having always kept a wary eye on the doings of Capitalists and Militarists, I immediatly reached a state of sympathetic resonance with Ravi Batra's description of Sarkar's explanation of historic cycles. See what you think. ------Joshua2 THE FOUR SOCIAL CLASSES Most social phenomena are related to human nature.Sarkar argues that even though most people have common goals and ambitions, the methods of achieving their objectives may differ from person to person, depending on inner qualities of the individual. Most of us seek living comforts and social prestige. But some try to attain them by developing intllectual skills, some by physical skills, and some by accumulating wealth. Finally, some people have little ambition in life, and they form a class by themselves Thus, society is basically composed of four types of people, each endowed with a different frame of mind. People have common objectives, but their modus operandi differs. Some persons, born with superior bodily strength, excel in physical skills requiring stamina, courage and vigor. Such people are usually employed in occupations involving physical risks. Sarkar calls them persons of warrior mentality. In his view, soldiers, police, firefighters, athletes, skilled blue collar workers, and the like belong to the class of warriors in the sense that all these occupations require physical skills. Thus, anyone who tries to solve his problems with the help of might and muscle can be said to have a warrior turn of mind. There is another type of person who lacks the physical energy of the warrior but is endowed with a relatively superior intellect. Being so endowed, h/s tries to develop mental skills to do well in society. To Sarkar, everyone who tries to solve their problems with their brain rather than brawn is an itellectual. His use of the term is much broader than generally conceived. To him, not just philosophers, writers, and scholars, but lawyers, physicians, poets, engineers, scientists, white collar workers, and priests are intellectuals because they all utilize their minds rather than muscle power to attain their goals. There is another type of person who, according to Sarkar, strives to accumulate wealth to achieve what is generally regarded as the good life. Such people are also bright, but their minds run mainly after money. They are smarter than the warrior type but not as intelligent as the intellectual. Yet they are usually mor affluent than the other two. Such people are called acquisitors, because virtually all their propensities are engaged in amassing wealth. To them, money is all that matters in life. It alone is the key to success and prosperity. Merchants, bankers, moneylenders, businessmen, and landlords generally belong to the class of acquisitors. While other classes seek wealth to enjoy material goods, the acquisitor generally covets money for its own sake. Finally there is the fourth type of person who is altogether different from the other three. He is the unskilled worker or the physical laborer. He lacks the vigor of the warrior, the brilliance of the intellectual, and the accumulating instinct of the acquisitor. He is also lacking in the high ambition of the other three. His level of education is relatively low, and he is usually deficient in marketable skills. Because of these handicaps the unskilled worker is, and has always been exploited by the rest of society. He does the work deemed dirty by others, and is the poorest among all classes. Farm workers and unskilled factory workers generally belong to the class of physical laborers. The laboring class is simply composed of people who perform physical labor by choice, or because they are unable to acquire technical skills.They lack the ambition, initiative, and drive to succeed in the world; seldom do they shine in society. These then, are the four classes which exist in every society and have existed since ancient times. Sarkar differs sharply from those who define classes on ecconomic grounds - on the basis of income and wealth. Sarkar does not neglect the ecconomic aspect, but to him it is only one component among many. Class devisions, in his view, persist because of inherent differences in human nature. Thus every civilization, which is what a mature society is, consists of four classes, each comprising people reflecting the predominance of a certain type of mind. Although individual behavior might display two, or even all, of the four mental attitudes, for the most part, and especially under duress, only one of them predominates. There is a bit of acquisitive instinct in most of us, but only a few make money the consuming obsession of their lives. We are all after a comfortable living standard and social prestige, but some of us attain them by means of physical skills, some through intellectual persuits, and some by ceaselessly chasing after money. In this order we are warriors, intellectuals, and acquisitors. Largely left behind are the laborers, imbued with little ambition or drive, wanting in basic education and essential skills. In every society, generally warriors maintain law and order, intellectuals supply philosophy, law, and religion, acquisitors are adept at managing the economy, and laborers do the unskilled jobs. [ R.B. ] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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