Why did the Barbarians ultimately break through? Because, when a frontier between a more highly and a less highly civilized society ceases to advance, the balance does not settle down to a stable equilibrium but inclines, with the passage of time, in the more backward society's favour.
Seems relevant today, as we find ourselves building walls to keep barbarians out.
2 comments:
Did he give an argument somewhere else for why he thinks that? It doesn't seem obvious to me. But it could be? Maybe technology leaks into the less advanced society and they catch up? It might make some sense, but I'd love to know why he thinks that. (Maybe I'll have to read the book.)
Jerry, for context you'll find the quote on the bottom half of page 10 here.
Somewhere else, he said that when the frontier of a civilization stops advancing, it does not remain stationary. It recedes. You could use this generalization to develop the other one.
Other than that, I don't know what he was thinking. He had an amazing amount of knowledge at the tip of his tongue, facts from history. I figure he just matched up facts from one civilization to others, saw patterns, and described what he saw in these observations of his.
The "page 10" link gets you to volume 1 (of 2) for the abridgement. (I don't find the second volume on line.) Abridged volume 1 covers the first six volumes of Toynbee's twelve.
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