HIST 107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Santa Barbara City College, Silk Road, Social Technology
Document Summary
Based on a society"s capacity to get stuff done, 4 parts; Urbanization-used to measure social organization. (more people=more govt & organization) Social technology is needed for this, like states, empires, etc. Energy capture-hunter gatherer to agriculture to industrialization (how we get. Information transfer- printing press, pony express, silk road, paper, etc. Believes humans are lazy, frightened, greedy people trying to find easy, safe, and energy from our environment. profitable living. He uses his theorem to compare east & west, (west includes islam & middle east. ) Measures the core: greatest center of civilization. Advantages: uses explicit numbers to express his theory, easy comparison, long. Disadvantages: only measures core, doesn"t reflect all of society, can use exact time span, separates comparisons from culture. numbers for later time (illusion of accuracy) , but not for past, sets aside culture/religion/agency. Mimetic culture: requires showing a process to another, you cannot explain.
