Brendan’s Reviews > Memory and the Mediterranean > Status Update
Brendan
is on page 265 of 432
“Technical discovery in itself does not necessarily lead to an Industrial Revolution…Every technological revolution has been undermined by the existence of slavery. [] It is unlikely that the English Industrial Revolution, which led to decade upon decade of marked decline in the condition of workers, was really inspired by the desire ‘to relieve human toil.’ Perhaps on the contrary it had become profitable
— Apr 30, 2025 06:22PM
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Brendan’s Previous Updates
Brendan
is on page 298 of 432
“A shared civilization was more easily assimilated when it came to the details of material life. The Cisalpine hood was worn in Rome as well as in colder climates; Italian wine seduced the Gauls…Cooks exchanged recipes and spices, gardeners exchanged seeds and grafts. The sea had long made such voyages possible, but with the unlimited authority of the Empire, barriers fell and transfers happened more quickly.”
— May 01, 2025 09:04PM
Brendan
is on page 260 of 432
I am absolutely devouring this book, my first by Braudel. Despite being incomplete and, in a few domains, slightly outdated, it is an excellent work of history. Braudel’s voice is warm and he is not shy to offer his opinion on various aspects of each civilization or on historiography, but it is always clearly demarcated.
— Apr 30, 2025 10:20AM
Brendan
is on page 128 of 432
“‘Which came first?’ In relation to the overall history of the Mediterranean, this question is not very important. What matters is that an extraordinary capacity for comparatively rapid cultural diffusion had emerged in a world where shipping was still an adventure[]All of the Middle Eastern civilizations of [the Bronze Age], despite some clashes, stood on equal footing with open access from one to another.”
— Apr 27, 2025 12:28PM
Brendan
is on page 57 of 432
“There was another consequence [of the invention of the plough]. Until now, women had been in charge of the fields and gardens where cereals were grown: everything had depended on their tilling the soil and tending the crop. Men had been first hunters, then herdsmen. But now, men took over the plough, which they alone were allowed to use.”
— Apr 26, 2025 11:02AM
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Apr 30, 2025 06:23PM
…for a given society or group to provide men with the assistance of a machine so that they should produce more, not necessarily by working less or in any better conditions.”
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This section, awkwardly excerpted by me above, has some really interesting relevance to our current potential Industrial Revolution — viz. AI and related technologies. The Whiggish view would suggest that such tech will be used for popular benefit, increasing our leisure and/or the wealth of ordinary people in some notable way. This is a common claim of techno-optimists and Silicon Valley types. Unfortunately, Braudel’s point here—he is trying to answer why the ancient Hellenistic world didn’t see an Industrial Revolution despite its truly amazing scientific and engineering progress—is highly pertinent. Two possible ways our era could play out:
- The tech innovations of our era fizzle out, like Heron of Alexandria’s ancient steam engine, because there is so much cheap (and legally restricted) labor that they simply aren’t thought to be necessary. (Robert Gordon has collected some interesting evidence to show that technology has actually stagnated considerably vs. the late 19th/early 20th centuries, despite our ongoing neomania)
- The new tech *does* cause an Industrial Revolution, but only because it rapidly increases capital and profits for the owners. This didn’t happen in Rome due to a shortage of capital and necessary economic infrastructure, but it didn’t happen in 18th century England. Ordinary workers would then be displaced and often immiserated, like many skilled craftsmen in the 19th century.
Sadly I think that either of these is more likely to happen than the techno-optimist scenario. But I hope I’m wrong…
