william rees mogg the sovereign individual

“The Church was the main source for preserving and transmitting technical knowledge and information.” “In an environment where military power was decentralized, the Church was uniquely placed to maintain peace and develop rules of order than transcended fragmented, local sovereignties.” Artistic, scientific, and engineering skills that had been highly developed in Roman times disappeared.”ĭuring the early stages of feudalism, the church played an important role: Literacy became so rare that anyone who possessed the ability to read and write could expect immunity from prosecution for almost any crime, including murder. “The ‘Dark Ages’ were so named for a reason. Each frequently contributed to the other.” The two have tended to go hand in hand in farming societies. It was also a reaction to appallingly low rates of productivity. “Feudalism in its various forms was not only a response to ever-present risks of predatory violence. That means certain features of history have a tendency to repeat themselves, and the most important changes, when they occur, may be abrupt rather than gradual.” To understand the dynamics of change, you have to recognize that human society, like other complex systems in nature, is characterized by cycles and discontinuities. “When information societies take shape they will be as different from industrial societies as the Greece of Aeschylus was from the world of the cave dwellers.” These changes will happen within a lifetime, rather than a millennia as the Agricultural Revolution. The Sovereign Individual explores social and financial consequences of the Information Revolution. It is the best possible time to be alive, when almost everything you thought you knew is wrong.” Tom Stoppard

A door like this has cracked open five or six times since we got up on our hind legs. “The thesis of this book is that the massed power of the nation-state is destined to be privatized and commercialized.” See my notes below or Amazon for details and reviews. And their perspective on political and economic realignment is incredibly relevant to the world that’s unfolding before us today. Their assessment of the parallels between the medieval church and the modern nation-state is such an interesting lens to examine history through. The thesis of the book is that the massed power of the nation-state is destined to be privatized and commercialized. The authors detail the transition to the next phase of civilization that’s well underway from the industrial age to the information age. It’s such a compelling, prescient book-despite having been written more than 20 years ago. Somehow I didn’t get around to reading it until now. Over the past five years, few books have been recommended to me as often as The Sovereign Individual. The Sovereign Individual – by James Dale Davidson & Lord William Rees-Mogg

William rees mogg the sovereign individual