Page 174 - Communication and the Evolution of Society

151 Historical Materialism

If Iam not mistaken, contemporary discussion revolves primarily
around the following complexes:

a. It is not entirely clear how we can distinguish paleolithic from
neolithic societies on the basis of the same primitive communal mode
of production. The ‘“‘neolithic revolution” signifies not only a new
stage of development of productive forces but also a new mode of
life. For this reason, some have proposed distinguishing a stage of
appropriative economy from a stage of producing economy. Whereas
hunters and gatherers seized nature’s treasures for their direct use,
tillage and breeding already required means of production (earth and
soil, livestock), which raised the question of ownership.*? Other dif-
ferences are related to the complexity of social organization (band,
tribe, chiefdom) .*4 Finally, it is possible to provide grounds for the
conjecture that the technical innovations that marked the transition to
neolithic society were dependent on the coherent development of
mythological world views.*®
b. The many-sided discussion of the so-called Asiatic mode of pro-
duction has given rise to a whole series of systematic questions. Should
this mode be understood as the last stage of the primitive communal
order or as the first form of class society? 46 If the latter alternative
can be made plausible—as I believe it can—does the Asiatic mode of
production mark a universal stage of development or a special line of
development of class societies alongside of the path of the ancient
mode of production? Or is it a mixed form of the ancient and feudal
modes of production? 47
c. The classification of feudalism raises equally great difficulties.*8
Is this at all a clearly specifiable mode of production or merely a col-
lective concept with no analytic pretensions? If there is an independent
mode of production of this type, does it mark a universal stage of
development? If so, did only the society of medieval Europe reach
this stage; in other words, is feudalism a unique phenomenon, or did
other civilizations also reach feudal stages of development
?
d. This is connected with the further question, how can archaic
civilizations be distinguished from developed civilizations? The dif-
ferentiation of social subsystems and the increase in stratification took
place within the framework of the same political class organization. In
all evolutionarily successful civilizations there was a noteworthy struc-
tural change of world view—the change from a mythological-cosmo-
gonic world view to a rationalized world view in the form of cosmo-
logical ethics. This change took place between the eighth and third