Renaissance and

Spring planting is depicted in this late 15th
century painting of the Four Seasons. The heavy
plow in the foreground was introduced on a
large-scale in Northern Europe during the 10th
century. The heavy plow replaced the system of
intensive farming with light plows known in
Greco-Roman antiquity, vastly expanding the
type of land that could be brought under cultivation.
With the introduction of the watermill,
the heavy plow contributed to the enormous
demographic growth and the commercial and
urban revolution of the 10th through 13th
centuries.
survive, there must be progress as measured by an the threat of force, provides looting rights to its
exponential tendency for the rate of creative innova- holders just as the Bardi were accorded looting rights;
tions to increase along with the social realization of on the other hand, by the reproduction of society as a
such innovations in rising rates of energy throughput whole through a rising social productivity in the
per capita through assimilation and use. The content production of real tangible wealth. The two are
of such a tendency is typified by the Renaissance it- irreconcilable to the point that now, under the present
self, for the self-devetoping power of the human mind policies of the Rockefellers, acquiescence in mainis
coherent with that process itself. Otherwise we taining the political integrity of the dominant
simply would not be here. monetarists' paper-dominated wealth will mean the
Such an outline is all fine and good, the reader may end of capitalism and the end of the human race.
say. But the Renaissance did not last. In fact, it The Titans of the Renaissance, the first capitalists,
degenerated rather rapidly, and the undoubted glories if you will, could not solve that problem by themof
15th century Florence crumbled into the horrors selves. But capitalism, as a byproduct of its developand
bestiality of the 16th Century. ment, makes what the Renaissance could only assert
The Renaissance ushered in the beginnings of to be the case a practical problem for the whole of
capitalist culture, nothing else. The Idea of Progress humanity. The spread and development of technology
is asserted as reality by capitalist society, but only across the globe makes each member of the human
indirectly governs the development of capitalist race dependent on the productive activity of every
society. Capitalism develops despite itself. The fate of other such member for his or her own survival, such
the Medici isexemplaryin thisregard.The Medici thatinnovationsinany partof thatwhole interconruledFlorenceuntilearlyinthe
18thcentury.They nectednetworkareultimatelyofbenefitothewhole
maintained a semblance of theirformer banking population.That isrealityand isthebasison which
operationsuntilthen.And, in fact,theirbank, the thatqualityof creativeself-development of human
Monte deiPaschi,existstothisday inFlorence.But powers,firstassertedby the Titansof the Renaisthey
understoodeconomicsno more than the Bardi sanceasprimaryrealityofallhuman activity, can bebeforethem
ortheFuggersafterthem.
come directlyaccessibleto,and known by theminds
The pointis,as we have alreadyimpliedin the ofallmen.
emergence under the Medici of banking and corn- In thatsensethe failureof the Renaissanceisour
merce asa self-movingpolitical force,thatcapitalism potential forvictory.They couldnotsolvetheproblem
and capitalist developmentisgovernedby two fun- themselves,but they lefta constantreminder for
damentallyirreconcilable .optimizing criteria: on the posterityof what the human race iscallableof acone
hand,by theexpansionofwealthdenominatedin complishingonceitdecidestoriseagainstitsown selfpure
paper,which when backed up by eitherforceor imposedbanalization and opp_'ession.
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