Social Evolution, Revolutionary Change, Negotiated Settlement: What is Best When?

I address this to my blog mates when I say that I did not have any idea how to get cleanly out of a topic that Padmini says she can achieve a PhD with when I brought it up.  Then, last night, while walking, I hit on this analogy ...

Cultural change through time is like responses in the flow of a fluid, like gravity drawing the water down the mountain over varied terrain, rushing, pooling, raging, all the time feeding life or drowning it in turn.  Cultural flow can be laminar, a term meaning smooth flowing without disruption or interference.  Or, it can just as easily be turbulent, tossed with with events colliding, people upset and fearful.

Social evolution happens even as the river flows in a laminar manner, for even though the water is seeing little mix, it must follow the river's ever changing course.  This is a time of peace and gradual development, a period of restful rejuvenation, a time of little fear or concern.  It is the time to bask in the purifying sunlight, for health to emerge.

Along the way, of course there are navigations to be undertaken in a society, for the people in a society are not always in the water, but more like rafters riding along.  While a river is content to follow nature, mankind inserts intent, seeking destinations, and that intent means navigation.  The river may fork and one path may be more beneficial than another.  Intent and the differences of those intentions in the varying elements of society require negotiation if the society is to move together on a chosen path.  It may not please everyone, but it will continue movement as a community.

The problem is that often, not all members on the trip are experiencing the same thing.  The chosen path may lead to faster progress and to wealth for some, much as riding the top of aptly named white water is exhilarating and rapid travel.  Of course, the bottom of the raft, the workers in the field, may be enjoying collision with boulders along the way to be considerably less enjoyable.  They may experience injury and wear and tear.  And they may decide enough is enough and flip everything upside down after a grievous collision.

One of those social collisions in the history of America was the killing of George Floyd in a horrendous manner video recorded for the entire nation to watch.  It was a boulder with a cutting edge that had been struck.  The raft was already reeling from the coronavirus torrent and the Floyd death tore the fabric.

Now comes the time of survival in the face of such upheaval.  The tear not only dumped and ripped the raft, but left it with the bottom exposed for all to see the devastation that years of abusive treatment inflicted.  Many on top of the raft said this neglect of the bottom must change and the bottom must be not only repaired, but rebuilt in a way that would last.  And, they wanted the white water practices ended.  These were the protests.

Others, conservative Republicans mostly, felt that the raft bottom had its proper role, had always served that role, and needed to simply be patched and pushed back into the water.

And, of course, others of less maturity, simple felt freedom in the water, pushing anyone out of the way as they grabbed items that had fallen off the top of the raft.

This brings us to the consideration of revolution.  If the decision on top of the raft, by those with the most wealth, is to simply apply weak patches and push the raft back into the water, the bottom may finally have no choice but to tear loose completely.  Some modes of survival simply become not worth the price, the abuse, the unrewarding effort.  Floating untethered in the water, terrifying as it is, may actually become preferable.  And, to step beyond the limits of our analogy to human society, those parts of the raft may decide it is time for them to ride on top!!

Let's step away from our analogy for a bit and return to the initial focus, the best form of change.  I have given conditions under which each is perhaps most important.  However, different that the simple flow of a river that is new at every point of its journey, human beings individually and collectively accumulate memories on the journey.  Let us start with social evolution, normal changes happening, many of them technological and life grows across generations where a tractor replaces the horse for plowing, but farming continues, evolved.  But, farming practices formalize and organize at a higher level and pesticide use comes into play with the chosen intent of increasing yield to the market.  The companies and regulations are negotiated.  Until there is a great expose like Silent Sprint by Rachel Carson and people become aware that those decisions negotiated by the rich are poisoning the people!  And there is upheaval and revolution, even though it continues, like most revolutions, for years.  It is not a slight change of course, it is the stopping of whole courses, terminating the paths.

So, when are evolution, revolution and negotiation appropriate?  I think it is cyclic, a never-ending rotation, the river of history rotating in its continuing gyre. 

Please check out my other blog mates' takes on the same topic brought to us by Yours Truly at their blogs, Padmum, Raju, Ramana, Sanjana and Shackman!