Cruelty

[omar]

From Fromm’s “Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”: ‘With the increasing production an division of labour, the formation of a large surplus, and the building of states with hierarchies and elites’, he wrote, ‘large-scale human destructiveness and cruelty came into existence and grew as civilization and the role of power grew’ (Fromm 1973: 435).

What were men doing before the increase of production and division of labor etc?
Cruelty, I say, is not an Effect of these conditions but the Cause of them.

[someoneisatthedoor]

@omar

From Fromm’s “Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”: ‘With the increasing production an division of labour, the formation of a large surplus, and the building of states with hierarchies and elites’, he wrote, ‘large-scale human destructiveness and cruelty came into existence and grew as civilization and the role of power grew’ (Fromm 1973: 435).

What were men doing before the increase of production and division of labor etc?

As I remember most countries who operated at subsistence level (or thereabouts) were ruled by monarchies, which tended to use war and war alone as a means to expand and protect the state.

Cruelty, I say, is not an Effect of these conditions but the Cause of them.

Every state in history has used violence as a means to protect itself or to destroy its perceived enemies. The notion of a utopia without violence is appealing but you have to wonder what happens when the Aliens land and zap up with their cattle prods.

[omar]

@someoneisatthedoor

@omar

From Fromm’s “Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”: ‘With the increasing production an division of labour, the formation of a large surplus, and the building of states with hierarchies and elites’, he wrote, ‘large-scale human destructiveness and cruelty came into existence and grew as civilization and the role of power grew’ (Fromm 1973: 435).

What were men doing before the increase of production and division of labor etc?

As I remember most countries who operated at subsistence level (or thereabouts) were ruled by monarchies, which tended to use war and war alone as a means to expand and protect the state.
O- Not so much about monarchies but chieftains, or warlords. Before man settled they were nomads and we need only think about men From the steppe, like the mogols and turks to imagine their terror.
These large surpluses were created by the use of slave/forced labor, and that is my argument, that it is not because we have larger riches that we have increased cruelty but that because we have increased our cruelty we have also increased our riches.

Cruelty, I say, is not an Effect of these conditions but the Cause of them.

Every state in history has used violence as a means to protect itself or to destroy its perceived enemies.
O- They perform one along with the other. Man has found two ways of subsistence: Work the land or steal from another who does. Perceived enemies were economic opportunities. Violence granted them surplus, security…and human surplus as well to either serve as food for the gods or force into labor.

The notion of a utopia without violence is appealing but you have to wonder what happens when the Aliens land and zap up with their cattle prods.

O- You know I am far from utopia-builder without violence.