-Caveat Lector- -------- Original Message -------- Subject: P.R.Sarkar's Law of Social Cycles 5/5 Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 00:52:10 -0100 From: Nurev Ind Research <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Organization: Nurev Independent Research BCC: [EMAIL PROTECTED] THE PROCESS OF SOCIAL CHANGE Sarkar's law of social cycles states that power and influence shift from one class to another in accordance with a certain pattern. Questions come to mind at this point. First, is the change from one era to another smooth and peaceful, or is it violent and marked by bloodshed? Second, does the rise and fall of a class occur in perceptible stages within each era? A close analysis of civilizations reveals that during any era the dominant class remains on top for at least two-thirds of that period. for instance, if an intellectuals' era lasted for three hundred years, one would find that during that period intellectuals ruled for at least two hundred years and other groups for at most one hundred years. Because of overlapping transitional periods, one may not be able to recognize a particular epoch of any society. The fact that nothing moves in a straight line does present difficulties. But a serious student should be able to see where a society stands at any moment in time. The following points should be borne in mind in the study of history: 1) In any society spread over several regions, one should first identify the most important region. For instance, in Western civilization, which is spread among many nations, America today is the most influential country,. Since the U.S. is now passing through the acquisitive / laborer age, which is marked by high crime, extreme materialism, generally loose morals, and excessive individualism, we can say that the entire Western world is in this age. It is possible that some regions of a society may differ from the most important region. But that is not significant. What counts is the dominant mentality in the dominant region of a society. For instance, Canada, another member of Western civilization, is also in the acquisitive age , but it does not suffer from high crime. ( This was written in 1986- as Canada moves deeper and faster into the Acquisitive /Laborer era via NAFTA, the crime aspect is comming to resemble the U.S. on a smaller scale.-- J2 ) However, the character of Western society as a whole is determined not by the ruling mentality in Canada, but by that in the United States. 2) There may be more than one important region in a society at any given time. Then the class ruling in the majority of such regions determines the character of that society. 3) Once dominant regions in a society have been identified , the next step is to see which group is in power in those regions. Normally one should be able to pinpoint the class controling the government either directly or indirectly. That is, one should be able to see if warriors, intellectuals, or acquisitors command pollitical power. For instance, a centralized government with absolute authority usually means that either warriors or intellectuals are at the helm. If it is not clear which group dominates politics, one should examine the ideology popular in the society. Does it favor a warrior attitude of adventure and fearlessness, or an intellectual's otherworldliness and preference for theory over action, or an acquisitor's materialism over the intellectual or adventurous persuits of mind? 4) Another way to identify an era in society is to observe what the average person admires most, which careers earn the greatest status, what the popular culture glorifies. Does the common man seek a career in the army, or does he want to become a poet, priest, or statesman, or does he aspire to be a big landlord, banker, merchant, or businessman? In any society the profession of the ruling class is the one most sought by the public. In a warrior age, the average man generally dreams of becomming an army officer. In an era of intellectuals, he aspires to become an infuential thinker, a theologian, or a high placed pollitical adviser. In an acquisitive age, he seeks to become a merchant, businessman, landlord, or financier. In a laborer age, people usually become lazy, extremely materialistic, and greedy. They want to become wealthy without working hard. Whereas in all phases of civilization, society consists of four broad classes, AT THE END OF THE ACQUISITIVE ERA ONLY TWO REMAIN: ACQUISITORS AND LABORERS-- ( Two tiered economies. Haves & have nots. - J2 ) warriors and intellectuals have been reduced to the laborering class by the extreme concentration of wealth. For a long time in the acquisitive era, the standard of living remains high and the other classes make their living by providing services to the affluent. For a while, the entire social order works to support the dominance of the rich. The concentration of wealth continues apace, but since material resources available to society are limited, the acquisitors grow richer and richer at the expence of the other classes. As wealth becomes concentrated, the living standard of the other three progressively declines, until there comes a time when society degenerates into two groups-- THE HAVES AND THE HAVE-NOTS. So strong is the power of want and hunger that the distinctive features of the warrior's and intellectual's minds submit to the compulsions of survival. It is during such dark days that the acquisitive / laborer age comes into being. The resultant crime, poverty, and malaise eventually INVITE THE REVOLT OF THE MASSES, who are led by the very warriors and intellectuals-- now deminished to laborer ways of thinking who had once embraced the acquisitive system with open arms. Sarkar calls this upheaval THE LABORER REVOLUTION, one that occurs in the terminal phase of the acquisitive era, contributes to its end, and is brought about by disgruntled warriors and intellectuals. The laborer revolution reflects not the fact that it is engineered by the laborer class, which is generally unable to lead, but the fact that it is masterminded by those reduced to the laborer's level of poverty. Few warriors and intellectuals then remain, for, forced to devote all their time to making a living, they have little time for other persuits. The laborer revolution sweeps aside the influence of wealth. In the ensuing society, which may arise immediatly or after a brief period of adjustment, power reverts to the warriors. [ Fascism? Dictatorship? Autocratic rule? -- J2] Today, Western society is passing thruogh another acquisitive / laborer age. That is why there is so much conflict between wealthy corporations and labor unions, something reminiscent of the conflict between landlords and peasants in the feudal era; that is why there is so much crime, drug and alchohol addiction, materialism, and general malaise in society today. This state of affairs cannot last long. SOCIAL CONFLICT WILL CONTINUE TO GROW UNTIL THE ACQUISITIVE MENTALITY IS ELIMINATED AS THE DOMINANT FORCE. ( If done soon it can be done non-violently, and avoid the next phase which I believe will end in social disintegration requiring autocratic or dictatorial controls to restore " law and order ". --J2 ) Society will then move into another warrior age. [ R.B.] Thanks for listening, Joshua2 DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! 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