Learning In Prehistoric Times: What Has Changed?
October 29, 2017
“The lifestyle in prehistoric societies was very different to the lifestyle that existed in different civilizations.”
“Civilization is vastly overrated.” (Patricia Briggs)
The lifestyle in prehistoric societies was very different to the lifestyle that existed in different civilizations. By definition, it is very much understood that civilization is well-organized when compared to the societies that existed before it.
Yes, most of the ancient or prehistoric civilizations have a very glorious history, where some of the most extraordinary empires of the world once existed. However everything about civilization is not that impressive.
These civilizations took away from us a lot of things which non-civilized people once enjoyed. We will study some of these things in the headings below.
Civilization: A Closer Look
“The gap between the rulers and ruled is much less or even non-existent in simple societies. “
It is not necessary that a civilization always defines a society and often results in a controlled behaviour. Civilization has its own gains and losses. When the Middle Eastern civilization was developed, the biggest drawback which it produced was distinction on the basis of social class. The reason behind this distinction was increasing wealth in the overall economy. The class distinction in a civilization is much higher compared to simpler societies. The gap between the rulers and ruled is much less or even non-existent in simple societies. This gap still exists today in our modern day civilization.
Inequality on the basis of gender is something which was first introduced to this world by civilization. Studying historical text tells us that this gap was non-existent in the societies that existed before civilizations. Furthermore, the notion that simpler societies of the past used to be barbaric is wrong. In fact, some of these societies were home to interesting and wonderful cultures. These societies were far away from aggressive behaviour. The known civilizations of the world, on the contrary, have shown aggressive behaviour time and again due to one reason or another. The modern day wars etc. are all result of this aggressive behaviour.
Some Major Drawbacks
“Pre-civilized man was less materialistic then a civilized man”
Below we have mentioned some serious drawbacks of civilizations. The points below will also tell you what civilization has taken away from us (which the old enjoyed).
- The majority of our finer feelings have become dull due to the development of civilizations. An uncivilized man used to be joyous by merely seeing a rainbow in the sky. Today we seldom admire nature. We are too much encompassed by artificial intelligence.
- The modern day political concepts, whether capitalism, communism or any other “ism” which have been produced by the modern civilization, have really destroyed the harmony of the world. These concepts were non-existent in pre-civilized societies. Pre-civilized societies enjoyed more peace as compared to the civilized world.
- Pre-civilized man was less materialistic then a civilized man. Concepts like survival of the fittest and class systems are all a product of civilization. Simple societies enjoyed a simple and easy life compared to ours.
Conclusion
“future man will be more stressed out and uneasy”
The topic is huge and a lot can be discussed about it. Yes, civilization has many advantages as well. However, the aforementioned drawbacks are undeniable. These drawbacks have really made our lives pretty tough and, the way society is changing, it is very much evident that future man will be more stressed out and uneasy. As a society we need to think really hard about where we are heading. We need to learn from history and adopt the good things which these pre-historic societies applied in their lives. The task is gigantic and a combined effort is required in this regard.
