The wisdom produced by the Industrial Revolution
Fasten your seat belt and enjoy this one page link to the industrial revolution by clicking here.
We have reached the The Industrial Revolution. Have you noticed that our study of history has become a study of movements instead of a study of civilizations? This happens quite subtly in the history books. We have moved from a study of tribes to a study of civilizations. Then we have continued with a study of civilizations to the development of city states, then from city states to nation states and finally here is where it gets a little complex...
The combination of economics, politics and virtue has synthesized many of the movements, revolutions and wars in History. I realize that the explanation above represents a vast simplification, however so is studying the History of the World in one year. There are many nations I failed to mention in our study of history to date. I realize that they are worthy of being mentioned. However, time has limited my discussing them. This does not mean that you are not required to study any nation state, civilization or revolution or war mentioned in your textbook reading. You will be tested on any reading that you have been assigned from your text.
After the French revolution established the need for discernment we enter The Industrial Revolution which established the need for efficiency. What makes something efficient? I suppose the outcome of what it produces will establish its utility. Another way to say this may be, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”; “The means are justified by the ends.” Or, as more modern educated business people have said “Start with the end in mind”. The problem with efficiency is that it can lead to dishonesty. One way to be the most efficient is to cheat. So in The Industrial Revolution cheating can lead to a short term gain. When I was in business for the past 20 years I faced the temptation of making a short term profit instead of waiting for the long term gain. This is especially significant in the area of sales and marketing. You can easily sell a customer the most profitable item that may not benefit their immediate needs. The opportunies to make a quick buck are tempting. However, the capitalist, or businessman, with virtue may have the wisdom to see the long term gain of accepting a short term sacrifice for the benefit of a long term customer. It is my hope that my students who end up in the business world will make the wise choice of practicing virtuous business.
Unfortunately, in the early days of The Industrial Revolution they did not always understand this. They cheated by using child labor to minimize expense and maximize short term profits. In the long run the back lash hurt more than it had helped the industrialist. The political governments in Great Britain and the United States stepped into this economic reality and regulated their methods. To this day business is hypersensitive to this. They have formed trade associations to set standards above the regulatory arm of the government to proactively stop them from crippling their industry. These kind of proactive measures are how we see business being regulated today. Industrialist try to stay ahead of the regulatory curve by creating standards that will be higher than what the government can mandate. Of course most businessmen or, industrialist, were not amoral. They were also influenced by religion and the free press to do the right thing when it came to child labor. There will always be scoundrels. The history books are full of them. These are men who cheat by competing without a level playing field. The British industrialist, Richard Arkwright, would be an example of this.
One of the first industries that were affected by The Industrial Revolution was the textile industry. Arkwright was an industrialist who discovered the cheap labor of children could generate considerable profits. Textile mills could now be moved from water power sources to steam power with James Watt’s perfection of the steam engine. This allowed textile mills to be moved away from the major waterways into the internal parts of the country. Where there was a cheap labor shortage because of the geographical necessity of locating mills close to water sources. The steam engine allowed mills to be established everywhere. Here is an excellent link to explain how steam engines work. http://science.howstuffworks.com/steam1.htm
This quote is taken from the industrial revolution simulation at...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Twork.htm
“Richard Arkwright's employees worked from six in the morning to seven at night. Although some of the factory owners employed children as young as five, Arkwright's policy was to wait until they reached the age of six. Two-thirds of Arkwright's 1,900 workers were children. Like most factory owners, Arkwright was unwilling to employ people over the age of forty.”
So the culminating virtue of the industrial revolution is born out of the balance of efficiency with morality. It was during this time period that the great moral philosophers began writing about virtue. They are Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Georg Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill as well as Karl Marx. They differ from each other as follows…
The virtue they are most know for are beside their names.
The link below thier name is for your enrichment.
Name Virtue
Kant duty http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/practicalreason/themes.html
Name Virtue
Hegel recognition http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/hegel/section5.rhtml
Name Virtue
Nietzsche meaning http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/zarathustra/summary.html
Name Virtue
Hume motive http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/understanding/section8.rhtml
Name Virtue
Bentham utility http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/public/terms.html
Name Virtue
Mill happiness http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/utilitarianism/summary.html
Name Virtue
Marx equality http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/marx.html
So this moralistic revolution comes on the heels of The Industrial Revolution. Technology has stepped ahead of philosophy and we find this to be a common theme as change occurs in the movements of history. From this synthesis of virtue and efficiency the philosophers have leveled the playing field of morality by applying virtues to the technological developments of their movement. The application of virtue to technological change we shall call wisdom. It is the oldest of virtues brought forward to interpret new knowledge. I hope we continue to use wisdom in the new movements ahead of us. An application of wisdom before The Industrial Revolution may have averted children with crooked limbs and many other handicaps. Please read the story of young Sarah Carpenter.
http://www.learn.co.uk/
Sarah Carpenter
(1) The Ashton Chronicle (23rd June, 1849)My father was a glass blower. When I was eight years old my father died and our family had to go to the Bristol Workhouse. My brother was sent from Bristol workhouse in the same way as many other children were - cart-loads at a time. My mother did not know where he was for two years. He was taken off in the dead of night without her knowledge, and the parish officers would never tell her where he was. It was the mother of Joseph Russell who first found out where the children were, and told my mother. We set off together, my mother and I, we walked the whole way from Bristol to Cressbrook Mill in Derbyshire. We were many days on the road. Mrs. Newton fondled over my mother when we arrived. My mother had brought her a present of little glass ornaments. She got these ornaments from some of the workmen, thinking they would be a very nice present to carry to the mistress at Cressbrook, for her kindness to my brother. My brother told me that Mrs. Newton's fondling was all a blind; but I was so young and foolish, and so glad to see him again; that I did not heed what he said, and could not be persuaded to leave him. They would not let me stay unless I would take the shilling binding money. I took the shilling and I was very proud of it. They took me into the counting house and showed me a piece of paper with a red sealed horse on which they told me to touch, and then to make a cross, which I did. This meant I had to stay at Cressbrook Mill till I was twenty one. Our common food was oatcake. It was thick and coarse. This oatcake was put into cans. Boiled milk and water was poured into it. This was our breakfast and supper. Our dinner was potato pie with boiled bacon it, a bit here and a bit there, so thick with fat we could scarce eat it, though we were hungry enough to eat anything. Tea we never saw, nor butter. We had cheese and brown bread once a year. We were only allowed three meals a day though we got up at five in the morning and worked till nine at night. We had eightpence a year given us to spend: fourpence at the fair, and fourpence at the wakes. We had three miles to go to spend it. Very proud we were of it, for it seemed such a sight of money, we did not know how to spend it. The master carder's name was Thomas Birks; but he never went by any other name than Tom the Devil. He was a very bad man - he was encouraged by the master in ill-treating all the hands, but particularly the children. I have often seen him pull up the clothes of big girls, seventeen or eighteen years of age, and throw them across his knee, and then flog them with his hand in the sight of both men and boys. Everybody was frightened of him. He would not even let us speak. He once fell poorly, and very glad we were. We wished he might die. There was an overlooker called William Hughes, who was put in his place whilst he was ill. He came up to me and asked me what my drawing frame was stopped for. I said I did not know because it was not me who had stopped it. A little boy that was on the other side had stopped it, but he was too frightened to say it was him. Hughes starting beating me with a stick, and when he had done I told him I would let my mother know. He then went out and fetched the master in to me. The master started beating me with a stick over the head till it was full of lumps and bled. My head was so bad that I could not sleep for a long time, and I never been a sound sleeper since.There was a young woman, Sarah Goodling, who was poorly and so she stopped her machine. James Birch, the overlooker knocked her to the floor. She got up as well as she could. He knocked her down again. Then she was carried to the apprentice house. Her bed-fellow found her dead in bed. There was another called Mary. She knocked her food can down on the floor. The master, Mr. Newton, kicked her where he should not do, and it caused her to wear away till she died. There was another, Caroline Thompson. They beat her till she went out of her mind. We were always locked up out of mill hours, for fear any of us should run away. One day the door was left open. Charlotte Smith, said she would be ringleader, if the rest would follow. She went out but no one followed her. The master found out about this and sent for her. There was a carving knife which he took and grasping her hair he cut if off close to the head. They were in the habit of cutting off the hair of all who were caught speaking to any of the lads. This head shaving was a dreadful punishment. We were more afraid of it than of any other, for girls are proud of their hair. I was there then years and saw a great deal more than I can think of. My brother, after he was free, came to Cressbrook and stole me away. But I was so frightened and dateless with the punishment I had received, that for a long time I was like a person with no wits. I could hardly find my way from one street into another. They said at Wright's Factory where I worked that they were sure that I was "none right".
We have reached the The Industrial Revolution. Have you noticed that our study of history has become a study of movements instead of a study of civilizations? This happens quite subtly in the history books. We have moved from a study of tribes to a study of civilizations. Then we have continued with a study of civilizations to the development of city states, then from city states to nation states and finally here is where it gets a little complex...
- Economically we move from nation states to trading blocks and then to the global economy.
- Politically we move from the nation state to the virtual state by means of the technology of The Internet.
- And finally by measure of virtue we have balanced the liberties of individualism with the equality of egalitarianism.
I would hope with the philosopher “Aristotle” that this balance produces wisdom.
The combination of economics, politics and virtue has synthesized many of the movements, revolutions and wars in History. I realize that the explanation above represents a vast simplification, however so is studying the History of the World in one year. There are many nations I failed to mention in our study of history to date. I realize that they are worthy of being mentioned. However, time has limited my discussing them. This does not mean that you are not required to study any nation state, civilization or revolution or war mentioned in your textbook reading. You will be tested on any reading that you have been assigned from your text.
After the French revolution established the need for discernment we enter The Industrial Revolution which established the need for efficiency. What makes something efficient? I suppose the outcome of what it produces will establish its utility. Another way to say this may be, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”; “The means are justified by the ends.” Or, as more modern educated business people have said “Start with the end in mind”. The problem with efficiency is that it can lead to dishonesty. One way to be the most efficient is to cheat. So in The Industrial Revolution cheating can lead to a short term gain. When I was in business for the past 20 years I faced the temptation of making a short term profit instead of waiting for the long term gain. This is especially significant in the area of sales and marketing. You can easily sell a customer the most profitable item that may not benefit their immediate needs. The opportunies to make a quick buck are tempting. However, the capitalist, or businessman, with virtue may have the wisdom to see the long term gain of accepting a short term sacrifice for the benefit of a long term customer. It is my hope that my students who end up in the business world will make the wise choice of practicing virtuous business.
Unfortunately, in the early days of The Industrial Revolution they did not always understand this. They cheated by using child labor to minimize expense and maximize short term profits. In the long run the back lash hurt more than it had helped the industrialist. The political governments in Great Britain and the United States stepped into this economic reality and regulated their methods. To this day business is hypersensitive to this. They have formed trade associations to set standards above the regulatory arm of the government to proactively stop them from crippling their industry. These kind of proactive measures are how we see business being regulated today. Industrialist try to stay ahead of the regulatory curve by creating standards that will be higher than what the government can mandate. Of course most businessmen or, industrialist, were not amoral. They were also influenced by religion and the free press to do the right thing when it came to child labor. There will always be scoundrels. The history books are full of them. These are men who cheat by competing without a level playing field. The British industrialist, Richard Arkwright, would be an example of this.
One of the first industries that were affected by The Industrial Revolution was the textile industry. Arkwright was an industrialist who discovered the cheap labor of children could generate considerable profits. Textile mills could now be moved from water power sources to steam power with James Watt’s perfection of the steam engine. This allowed textile mills to be moved away from the major waterways into the internal parts of the country. Where there was a cheap labor shortage because of the geographical necessity of locating mills close to water sources. The steam engine allowed mills to be established everywhere. Here is an excellent link to explain how steam engines work. http://science.howstuffworks.com/steam1.htm
This quote is taken from the industrial revolution simulation at...
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/Twork.htm
“Richard Arkwright's employees worked from six in the morning to seven at night. Although some of the factory owners employed children as young as five, Arkwright's policy was to wait until they reached the age of six. Two-thirds of Arkwright's 1,900 workers were children. Like most factory owners, Arkwright was unwilling to employ people over the age of forty.”
So the culminating virtue of the industrial revolution is born out of the balance of efficiency with morality. It was during this time period that the great moral philosophers began writing about virtue. They are Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Georg Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill as well as Karl Marx. They differ from each other as follows…
The virtue they are most know for are beside their names.
The link below thier name is for your enrichment.
Name Virtue
Kant duty http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/practicalreason/themes.html
Name Virtue
Hegel recognition http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/hegel/section5.rhtml
Name Virtue
Nietzsche meaning http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/zarathustra/summary.html
Name Virtue
Hume motive http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/understanding/section8.rhtml
Name Virtue
Bentham utility http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/public/terms.html
Name Virtue
Mill happiness http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/utilitarianism/summary.html
Name Virtue
Marx equality http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/marx.html
So this moralistic revolution comes on the heels of The Industrial Revolution. Technology has stepped ahead of philosophy and we find this to be a common theme as change occurs in the movements of history. From this synthesis of virtue and efficiency the philosophers have leveled the playing field of morality by applying virtues to the technological developments of their movement. The application of virtue to technological change we shall call wisdom. It is the oldest of virtues brought forward to interpret new knowledge. I hope we continue to use wisdom in the new movements ahead of us. An application of wisdom before The Industrial Revolution may have averted children with crooked limbs and many other handicaps. Please read the story of young Sarah Carpenter.
http://www.learn.co.uk/
Sarah Carpenter(1) The Ashton Chronicle (23rd June, 1849)My father was a glass blower. When I was eight years old my father died and our family had to go to the Bristol Workhouse. My brother was sent from Bristol workhouse in the same way as many other children were - cart-loads at a time. My mother did not know where he was for two years. He was taken off in the dead of night without her knowledge, and the parish officers would never tell her where he was. It was the mother of Joseph Russell who first found out where the children were, and told my mother. We set off together, my mother and I, we walked the whole way from Bristol to Cressbrook Mill in Derbyshire. We were many days on the road. Mrs. Newton fondled over my mother when we arrived. My mother had brought her a present of little glass ornaments. She got these ornaments from some of the workmen, thinking they would be a very nice present to carry to the mistress at Cressbrook, for her kindness to my brother. My brother told me that Mrs. Newton's fondling was all a blind; but I was so young and foolish, and so glad to see him again; that I did not heed what he said, and could not be persuaded to leave him. They would not let me stay unless I would take the shilling binding money. I took the shilling and I was very proud of it. They took me into the counting house and showed me a piece of paper with a red sealed horse on which they told me to touch, and then to make a cross, which I did. This meant I had to stay at Cressbrook Mill till I was twenty one. Our common food was oatcake. It was thick and coarse. This oatcake was put into cans. Boiled milk and water was poured into it. This was our breakfast and supper. Our dinner was potato pie with boiled bacon it, a bit here and a bit there, so thick with fat we could scarce eat it, though we were hungry enough to eat anything. Tea we never saw, nor butter. We had cheese and brown bread once a year. We were only allowed three meals a day though we got up at five in the morning and worked till nine at night. We had eightpence a year given us to spend: fourpence at the fair, and fourpence at the wakes. We had three miles to go to spend it. Very proud we were of it, for it seemed such a sight of money, we did not know how to spend it. The master carder's name was Thomas Birks; but he never went by any other name than Tom the Devil. He was a very bad man - he was encouraged by the master in ill-treating all the hands, but particularly the children. I have often seen him pull up the clothes of big girls, seventeen or eighteen years of age, and throw them across his knee, and then flog them with his hand in the sight of both men and boys. Everybody was frightened of him. He would not even let us speak. He once fell poorly, and very glad we were. We wished he might die. There was an overlooker called William Hughes, who was put in his place whilst he was ill. He came up to me and asked me what my drawing frame was stopped for. I said I did not know because it was not me who had stopped it. A little boy that was on the other side had stopped it, but he was too frightened to say it was him. Hughes starting beating me with a stick, and when he had done I told him I would let my mother know. He then went out and fetched the master in to me. The master started beating me with a stick over the head till it was full of lumps and bled. My head was so bad that I could not sleep for a long time, and I never been a sound sleeper since.There was a young woman, Sarah Goodling, who was poorly and so she stopped her machine. James Birch, the overlooker knocked her to the floor. She got up as well as she could. He knocked her down again. Then she was carried to the apprentice house. Her bed-fellow found her dead in bed. There was another called Mary. She knocked her food can down on the floor. The master, Mr. Newton, kicked her where he should not do, and it caused her to wear away till she died. There was another, Caroline Thompson. They beat her till she went out of her mind. We were always locked up out of mill hours, for fear any of us should run away. One day the door was left open. Charlotte Smith, said she would be ringleader, if the rest would follow. She went out but no one followed her. The master found out about this and sent for her. There was a carving knife which he took and grasping her hair he cut if off close to the head. They were in the habit of cutting off the hair of all who were caught speaking to any of the lads. This head shaving was a dreadful punishment. We were more afraid of it than of any other, for girls are proud of their hair. I was there then years and saw a great deal more than I can think of. My brother, after he was free, came to Cressbrook and stole me away. But I was so frightened and dateless with the punishment I had received, that for a long time I was like a person with no wits. I could hardly find my way from one street into another. They said at Wright's Factory where I worked that they were sure that I was "none right".
posted by pparris9 at 10:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home