Agriculture and Ethical Change

Abstract

SynonymsAgrarian empires; Feudalism and agriculture; Marketagriculture; Subsistence agriculture; The greattransformationIntroductionAgriculture has been at the heart ofthe human ethical systems since 9000 BCE when plants and animalswere first domesticated. The ``invention'' of agriculture meantthat humans changed the way they looked at land, food, sharing,home life, family, gender, age, technology, and property.Suchmassive changes have happened twice in human history. The firstchange was after 9000 BCE when hunter-gatherers settled down infarms in different parts of the world. New ethical systemsemerging included new systems of social stratification, ruraland urban, and professions. Many of these relations were rootedin ties of personal loyalty and fealty between unequal people.Such systems even included large agricultural empires like thoseof Rome, China, and the Maya. These systems were often``feudal'' in nature, because personal loyalties were at theheart of social inter ...