From: Tim May <tcmay@got.net>
Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 07:19:36 +0800
To: Steve Schear <cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: The End of Politics
In-Reply-To: <v03102803b030ed0b7ecb@[10.0.2.15]>
Message-ID: <v03102803b030f68041d1@[207.167.93.63]>
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At 3:08 PM -0700 9/1/97, Steve Schear wrote:
>			The End of Politics
>
>Every 500 years or so Western history seems to reach a turning point: the
>founding of democracy (Athens, c. 500 B.C.), the death to Christ, the fall
>of the Roman Empire and beginning of the Dark Ages (c. 500 A.D.), the
>ascendancy of the Catholic Church and beginning to the Middle Ages (c. 1000
>A.D.) and the Renaissance (c. 1500 A.D.).

I sure don't buy any analysis that starts with this kind of "periodicity
analysis" (Fourier analysis of history?).

Just for starters, these dates are highly arbitrary. The start of Roman
influence in a major way was 100 B,C. or so, the death of that Jesus guy
was a minor event (the real event was the rise of the Church, in Rome,
during the next few centuries, and esp. with Constantine). And the "Dark
Ages" were misnamed.

Also, during these so-called Dark Ages, we saw Charlemagne, and, of course,
Mohmammed. Circa 800 A.D. The Norman Conquest was 1066, the Crusades were
circa 1150-1250 (I forget the exact dates), and so on.

And the Enlightenment, c. 1700. And the American and French Revolutions.
And the Industrial Age. And a huge amount of history, ups and downs, just
in the last century. The dates you pick, -500, 0, 500, 1000, 1500 are
artificial, selected to match a theory based on 500-year cycles.

Kind of puts a crimp on the "500 year theory" doesn't it? One could just as
easily write about a 400-year cycle with the last crest in 1800 (American
and French Revolutions, etc.) and the next one in 2200.

And it would still be bullshit.

No offense meant to Steve, but this kind of analysis ranks up there with
astrology, phrenology, and aptical foddering.

--Tim May


There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws.
Only one response to the key grabbers is warranted: "Death to Tyrants!"
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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