Understanding capitalism as a historical process that involves understanding the social, or what is the same type of adaptation of man to life by the guidelines given society, is neither the only nor the best. It is society that makes the individuals for their own purposes in promoting the facets that they are more convenient without being required to meet the individual development of its members. Once it becomes clear that employers who provide the capital are not the only nor the most desirable is the open road to reach the true goals of the individual and collective lives of human beings. Erich Fromm provides a guide to understanding how this process has been formed.
Regarding our society a fundamental characteristic of medieval society is the lack of freedom. A man had little chance of changing social class or go to another place that was not the birth. Nor have I used the opportunity to wear what they want or eat what he pleased. But even if the person was not free in the modern sense, was not alone or isolated. By having limited possibilities of changing his life was within a routine that context. The blacksmith, the gentleman, the farmer, ... all remained linked to the role that society had commissioned. Thus ended the social order is conceived as the natural order. Although many or immense sufferings were the Church was there to give an explanation and forward them bearable. The original sin was the scapegoat of existing evils so that the Church encouraged the guilt while seeking possibilities for overcoming them.
In the final part of the Middle Ages the unity and centralization of medieval society had weakened. The capital gained prominence through individual economic initiative and competition which created a new moneyed class. Individualism is then extended to other fields of human activity: fashion, art, philosophy, theology, ... For the moneyed classes this was not perceived differently than for the small group of wealthy capitalists because for the first this process was a threat to their traditional way of life.
In Italy this process was more intense and had a greater impact on philosophy, art and lifestyle, to the extent that the Italian Renaissance Burckhardt became the firstborn among the children of modern Europe. The origins of this process are in various economic and political factors that have joined the privileged geographical position of Italy, which gave unique geographical advantages in a time of strong business expansion across the Mediterranean. For these reasons and others arose in Italy a powerful wealthy class whose members were dominated by a spirit of initiative, power and ambition. Then the birth and origin became less important than wealth.
As a result of this gradual destruction of medieval society was emerging, the individual in the modern sense. The masses who had no wealth and power of the former ruling group have lost their safety and ended up becoming a group report. Meanwhile the wealthy got a feeling of strength and, simultaneously, an isolation, a growing doubt and skepticism. And it was this insecurity, as pointed out by Burckhardt, a basic feature of the rebirth of the individual as reflected in the desire for fame, which silenced while doubts served to alleviate the need to achieve immortality and so that life itself acquires meaning when reflected in the opinion of others.
The socioeconomic organization of medieval society was relatively static. Although he had to fight hard for a living, in general, one could expect to live the fruits of labor. Within this system the fundamental economic assumptions were that economic interests are subordinate to the problem of life, which was the salvation and that economic behavior was an aspect of personal behavior, subject, like the others, rules morality. R. Tawney told in "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism" how it was lawful for a man to seek the wealth necessary to maintain the living standards of their own social position. Search more was not considered to be an entrepreneur but greedy, and greed was a mortal sin. Private property was a necessary institution, at least in a world fallen into sin, but must be tolerated only as a concession to human weakness, should never be exalted as a good in itself.
While the market situation in the Middle Ages was static, so that there was a supply and demand direct and specific at the moment the market situation was broader and could no longer be fixed for the supply and demand were related. It was no longer sufficient to produce useful commodities as the market laws decided whether the products could be sold and to what benefit. The new market mechanism was similar to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, according to which the individual must make every effort to be good, but their salvation or damnation was determined from birth. The market day became the day of reckoning for the products of human effort. To this point the critical elements of modern capitalism along with its psychological effects on the individual had already emerged. The economy of the feudal system was based on the principle of cooperation, individualism now gathered strength and medieval principles were gradually relegated. The man had lost a stable system and its relations with other men became hostile in all possible rivals to be among them.
By the late Middle Ages began to develop the concept of time in the modern sense and the minutes began to have value. A symptom of this is that at Nuremberg the bells began to play the quarter-hour from the S. XVI. Time began to have such value that people realized that he could not lose. The preacher Martin Butzer wrote then: "Everyone is running after those issues and most profitable occupations. The study of the arts and sciences is discarded in favor of the more ignoble forms of manual labor."
Regarding our society a fundamental characteristic of medieval society is the lack of freedom. A man had little chance of changing social class or go to another place that was not the birth. Nor have I used the opportunity to wear what they want or eat what he pleased. But even if the person was not free in the modern sense, was not alone or isolated. By having limited possibilities of changing his life was within a routine that context. The blacksmith, the gentleman, the farmer, ... all remained linked to the role that society had commissioned. Thus ended the social order is conceived as the natural order. Although many or immense sufferings were the Church was there to give an explanation and forward them bearable. The original sin was the scapegoat of existing evils so that the Church encouraged the guilt while seeking possibilities for overcoming them.
In the final part of the Middle Ages the unity and centralization of medieval society had weakened. The capital gained prominence through individual economic initiative and competition which created a new moneyed class. Individualism is then extended to other fields of human activity: fashion, art, philosophy, theology, ... For the moneyed classes this was not perceived differently than for the small group of wealthy capitalists because for the first this process was a threat to their traditional way of life.
In Italy this process was more intense and had a greater impact on philosophy, art and lifestyle, to the extent that the Italian Renaissance Burckhardt became the firstborn among the children of modern Europe. The origins of this process are in various economic and political factors that have joined the privileged geographical position of Italy, which gave unique geographical advantages in a time of strong business expansion across the Mediterranean. For these reasons and others arose in Italy a powerful wealthy class whose members were dominated by a spirit of initiative, power and ambition. Then the birth and origin became less important than wealth.
As a result of this gradual destruction of medieval society was emerging, the individual in the modern sense. The masses who had no wealth and power of the former ruling group have lost their safety and ended up becoming a group report. Meanwhile the wealthy got a feeling of strength and, simultaneously, an isolation, a growing doubt and skepticism. And it was this insecurity, as pointed out by Burckhardt, a basic feature of the rebirth of the individual as reflected in the desire for fame, which silenced while doubts served to alleviate the need to achieve immortality and so that life itself acquires meaning when reflected in the opinion of others.
The socioeconomic organization of medieval society was relatively static. Although he had to fight hard for a living, in general, one could expect to live the fruits of labor. Within this system the fundamental economic assumptions were that economic interests are subordinate to the problem of life, which was the salvation and that economic behavior was an aspect of personal behavior, subject, like the others, rules morality. R. Tawney told in "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism" how it was lawful for a man to seek the wealth necessary to maintain the living standards of their own social position. Search more was not considered to be an entrepreneur but greedy, and greed was a mortal sin. Private property was a necessary institution, at least in a world fallen into sin, but must be tolerated only as a concession to human weakness, should never be exalted as a good in itself.
While the market situation in the Middle Ages was static, so that there was a supply and demand direct and specific at the moment the market situation was broader and could no longer be fixed for the supply and demand were related. It was no longer sufficient to produce useful commodities as the market laws decided whether the products could be sold and to what benefit. The new market mechanism was similar to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination, according to which the individual must make every effort to be good, but their salvation or damnation was determined from birth. The market day became the day of reckoning for the products of human effort. To this point the critical elements of modern capitalism along with its psychological effects on the individual had already emerged. The economy of the feudal system was based on the principle of cooperation, individualism now gathered strength and medieval principles were gradually relegated. The man had lost a stable system and its relations with other men became hostile in all possible rivals to be among them.
By the late Middle Ages began to develop the concept of time in the modern sense and the minutes began to have value. A symptom of this is that at Nuremberg the bells began to play the quarter-hour from the S. XVI. Time began to have such value that people realized that he could not lose. The preacher Martin Butzer wrote then: "Everyone is running after those issues and most profitable occupations. The study of the arts and sciences is discarded in favor of the more ignoble forms of manual labor."
This entry was published on
05 September 2009
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