>And I still think this is so.
>It is easy for us in the modern world to forget that the everyday
>violence of life prevails in most of the ancient world, even within
>(say) the interior of the Roman Empire.
>I do believe that the magnitude of everyday violence is the least within
>the Lunar Empire, expecially since exterior threats are so, so far away.
I'll agree that the Lunar empire has a class of people who are sufficently well off that they are insulated from violence but overall I would have thought there was more violence in the cities than there is the barbarian lands. Simply because the more people there are crammed together the greater likelyhood od violence. Furthermore the constraints on violence are more effective where people know each other. I'll agree the threat of external violence is much lower but internal violence from mobs and criminals will be far higher.
>Furthermore, the internal trade of the empire, coupled with the
>aforementioned peace, generates a standard of living that is
>considerably above the desperate, hand-to-mouth level that is
>standard for pre-industrial societies.
Again that's going to be true for the minority but I can't see it applying to the average peasant or labourer. Indeed I would expect their position to be worse than a typical Sartarite cottar. The benefits of the industrial revolution didn't filter down to ordinary people for something like 50 to a 100 years and in the interim the standard of living of most city dwellers was lower than for rural people.
>Finally, the overlay of the Lunar religion, philosophy and
>government presents opportunities that are unknown in most
>societies. Not that is is free and open, but that there is
>some chance.
True.
-- Donald Oddy http://www.grove.demon.co.uk/
Powered by hypermail