Feudalism

2007-04-07T02:36:21Z

Cdobbs:

== Europe ==

Feudalism in [[Europe]] was made up of a [[noble]] or [[lord]] who owned land that was given to him by a king. These lords lived in castles that usually had a moat and would rent their land out to [[vassals]]. Vassals were considered nobles but with less power. The vassals gave military service to the lord in order for protection and land. The vassals would rent their land out to peasants or [[serf]]s who farmed that land. The peasants or serfs were not slaves because they were free to leave if they wanted but they were tied to their land. If one lord sold the land to another the peasants would not move. The new lord would own the land. The peasants farmed and gave a parentage of their crop to the vassals for payment for their land. In return the vassals gave the peasants protection and land to work. The vassals would also give the lord a percentage of their wealth. In the feudalism system everyone wins but some win more than others.

== Japan ==

Feudalism also developed independently in [[Japan]]. Skilled military leaders called [[bushi]] raised armies of [[Samurai]] to defend their estates. The samurai lived by a code of conduct called [[Bushido]]. Bushido was similar to the [[Chivalry]] of [[Europe]], but included a code for Japanese women to follow. Bushido emphasized extreme loyalty to one's lord even more than chivalry, making the Japanese amazingly tenacious fighters. As in European feudalism, the land was farmed by peasants.

==Criticism==

In recent years, some historians have criticized the use of the term ''feudalism'', and the way it is used to describe medieval society. They cite three arguments to support this criticism. Firstly, that the term was never used by medieval man, but was invented by early modern lawyers in an attempt to interpret the legal system of the middle ages; secondly, that it reflects a simplified and often incorrect view of medieval law and politics; and thirdly, that modern historians use the term in too many different and often incompatible ways. The debate over this issue continues.

==Modern==

The structure of most modern-day [[corporations]] has been compared to the traditional feudal society, with the Board of Directors taking the place of God, the CEO as the King, and the workers as the [[serf]]s. The largest obvious difference is that corporations are rarely permitted to kill disobedient workers or engage in armed conflict.

==References==

*Marc Bloch, ''Feudal Society''
*Francois-Lois Ganshof, ''Feudalism''
*Elizabeth E. R. Brown, "The Tyranny of a Construct: Feudalism and Historians of Medieval Europe", ''American Historical Review 79''
*Susan Reynolds, ''Fiefs and Vassals: The Medieval Evidence Reinterpreted''

User talk:TerryH

2007-04-06T20:02:18Z

Cdobbs: Bdobbs banned for using templates?

Talk to me! Am I right? Wrong? Any suggestions? --[[User:TerryH|TerryH]] 18:24, 5 March 2007 (EST)

[[User_talk:TerryH/Archive_1|Archive 1]]

== Administrative Office ==
The door is always open. Please place questions, suggestions, complaints, ''et cetera'', here.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]]<sup>[[User talk:TerryH|Talk]]</sup> 13:50, 6 April 2007 (EDT)

== Welcome as Sysop! ==

Terry, you have indeed been promoted to Sysop, in recognition of your numerous high-quality edits. Welcome!

As Sysop, you can and should block vandals and obscene users by checking "Recent Changes," and you can also edit locked pages. In terms of blocking, please block for immediate duration any user who posts obscenity, or has obscenity in his user id. Don't all those users to return with a shorter block. The same is true for clear vandalism. Silliness, inappropriate entries, or repeatedly unproductive edits should be addressed by a warning on their talk page and/or a short block. Many Sysops have access to Checkuser and IP addresses, but use those only to track down and report vandalism to the appropriate entities.

The pages are locked for reasons including repeated vandalism or, in a few cases, high-quality efforts that should not be diluted or degraded. Caution should be exercised before editing them, and feel free to ask me first if there is any doubt. You can probably sense why a page was locked, and if it was due to vandalism then please feel free to improve it however you like.

Again, welcome, and a good Easter to you!--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 10:22, 6 April 2007 (EDT)

==Materialism==

Hi, I'm another sysop. I used to be a sysop, bureaucrat and Developer at Wikipedia, but I fell afoul of The Cabal. ;-)

Anyway I wanted to ask you about a phrase you wrote which piqued my interest.

:''the sufficiency of total materialism to explain anything and everything''

I think this is good '''material''' for our [[Materialism]] article. Materialists don't just sit around '''believing''' in materialism. They used their beliefs as justification. They speak, write and act. I'd like to know more about what materialists use their perspective for. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 14:39, 6 April 2007 (EDT)
:Hello, Ed. Thanks for dropping in.
:My experience with "materialists" is, I admit, limited to sitting in a classroom and getting the materialistic perspective on biology--from teachers who expressed that supreme confidence that matter was everything and matter could explain everything. But it also comes from viewing so many [[television]] shows that took a materialistic perspective, and checking up on how other shows dealt with issues of evolution. The ''Star Trek'' franchise, for example, was as materialistic as it ever got. They ended up going with Francis Crick's directed-panspermia hypothesis, and featuring a race calling themselves "The Progenitors." Check it out on Wikipedia, if you like.
:The materialist perspective justifies--or at least removes a key objection to--the use of human fetal tissue not only for stem-cell extraction but also for transplant sources. The materialist says, "A person is not a person until it behooves the state to grant him personhood." Materialist morality's standard-of-value is "the greatest good for the greatest number," and thinks nothing of sacrificing the individual.
:Even [[Objectivism|Objectivist]] morality would have a problem with pure materialism--which is why Objectivism ''is not'' a purely materialist discipline. Materialism says that all we are, are collections of chemicals. Objectivism says that we have minds, and that mind and matter are not the same.
:Materialism is very close to ''[[modernism]]'', about which we really need an article. Modernism says that, given enough research time, grant moneys, ''et cetera'', we will find the relentlessly rational answers to every problem. [[Postmodernism]] says that some answers are unobtainable, and that there is no such thing as truth. But modernism says that the ''truth'' is that there is nothing beyond the natural and material, and that what is unknown today--say about life origins--will become known tomorrow.
:I admit that I have no references. All I have are my personal impressions from having had materialist professors, in high school, college, and medical school. Maybe this will help.--[[User:TerryH|TerryH]]<sup>[[User talk:TerryH|Talk]]</sup> 15:00, 6 April 2007 (EDT)

== Bdobbs banned for using templates? ==

Hi, same user as BDobbs here. I got a bnotice I was banned, and my IP was banned, for using the "Bias" template without being a Sysop.

Seeing how nobody MENTIONED they were sysop-only, that seems a trifle harsh. --[[User:Cdobbs|Cdobbs]] 16:02, 6 April 2007 (EDT)
(I think you were the sysop that did it, but I don't know how to find out for sure.)

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Feudalism

User talk:TerryH