The Perplexing Rise Of Neomedievalism

Considering the fact that humans have pretty much had the same brain power since we evolved, is it not strange that only in recent history have we made any real progress in science and technology, progress that could benefit society as a whole and all individuals populating the planet?

In the Western world, after Rome fell there ensued a thousand years of darkness, until over the past few hundred years a philosophical shift toward a valuing of the individual somehow took hold.

The ancient world fostered advances in science and mathematics, but even then kings chose to allocate their resources to their own pleasure and the waging of war. The wellbeing of the peasants was of no importance. The Medieval period brought almost a complete halt to scientific study. Ignorance and superstition ruled while wealth was spent on warfare in the pursuit of more wealth and on the construction of magnificent edifices dedicated to the glory of God and, oh yeah, the wealth and power of the Church. The rabble could have been fed on what it all cost, but what they were fed was a lot of superstitious twaddle and the hope they would be well fed in Heaven.

Then along came the Enlightenment with its elevation of the common person. It sounded good in theory. In practice however, the greater part of the world’s wealth remained in the hands of the few and religion went on as strong as ever. War, of course, the biggest waste of resources, went on as always.

Briefly, during the last century there seemed to be movement toward the promise of the Enlightenment, but the power of greed went on unabated as well. The “greed is good” movement took over and brought us to the sad state of today’s affairs; returned us to the value system of the Dark Ages. We are witness to this as we watch with a sense of helplessness the latest crop of the nobility lay waste to every program dedicated to the health, welfare and education of the masses. Meanwhile, religion, the primitive kind of religion that fosters ignorance, lends its influence to the cause of enriching the rich and to the denigration of anything that threatens their stranglehold on social progress. To a large extent we can thank the revival of religious fundamentalism for the rise of authoritarianism. Its adherents, inexplicably, welcome it as they embrace with delight the new Dark Age.

As our species seems to be hurtling toward its own destruction, the resistance of the masses to anything that might save us from ourselves and from our return to the state of affairs and ignorance that has dominated society for most of the time humans have walked the Earth confronts, at least this writer, with a most vexing and discouraging question.

Why have so many people returned to the Medieval mentality?

Let us hope our slide back to medievalism is not going to last as long as the Dark Ages lasted, but at the moment, doesn’t it feel as though it will be with us forever?