Brave New World. Lost Old World.
The Great Transformation by Karl Polyani is a landmark book describing the world’s transition that coincided with and was sparked because of the industrial revolution. Polyani proposed a few major ways that this revolution shifted the dynamic of the entire world experience. Primarily the industrial revolution changed the way the world (both government and people) interacted and processed it’s land, is labor, and coins. The industrial revolution was what brought all of these already shifting tectonic plates and made it one massive transformation everything in.[1] And with the new reorganization and handling of land, labor and coin came a new form of regulation. Polyani dismisses the myth of Adam Smith (among others) and the Invisible Hand of the self-regulating market. There is no purely self-regulating market, as many westerners might believe.[2]
While many in our cohort this week have continued to write about this, I wanted to share another change the industrial revolution (probably) brought about, that many are not aware of. Polyani certainly would not have been aware of it in 1940. This peculiar recent discovery is quite possible a secret of history that was unintentionally forgotten. And it is was so easily forgotten because it was such an assumption and regular part of life for all mankind, that no one ever even thought to clearly document it. This is the idea that everyone, pre-industrial revolution, would sleep twice per day. It’s the idea of the disappearance of the second sleep.
If you’re like me you probably began to think, is he actually saying what I think he is saying. We’ve all probably figured that at some point our species had changed since electricity but I thought that just meant we slept less! Roger Ekrich says that the industrial revolution and artificial light being prevalent amongst most of society completed altered not just how much we sleep, but how we sleep.[3] Although unbelievable at first, it makes sense that pre-industrial people would not sleep straight through their sometimes fourteen hours of darkness each night! Ekrich proposed that what people did in between their two segments of sleep while they were awake might have been meditation, sex, or reflecting on their own dreams. Ekrich claims his idea of segmented sleep was discovered through studying texts and writings from before the industrial revolution.
There is even a precedent that this idea is found in Biblical writing as well! [4] William Holladay goes back and reads these biblical stories looking to see if this underlying piece of culture was actually there. I think some of Holladay’s presentations may have been a stretch to say that that is evidence for segmented sleep. But, it is possible since “second sleep” would have been an assumption and so ingrained into the biblical authors that they would have never thought of writing about it. It’s the old example of a fish not being able to talk about water. It’s too normal for them to even mention.
This would be another tectonic plate shifting, all because of the industrial revolution. I share this only to say, that if Ekrick is right and if Polyani is right, we will probably never fully grasp the amount of change “the human experience” has had in the last 300 years.
But what this book really made me think of, is so where our next great transformation is going to be. As we’ve switched from industry to information, how is the next leap going to act out? It’s more than just social information. Bill Gates in a similar tone of Polyani’s book shares his ideas of where the future is going[5], as does Elon Musk[6], and many leaders venture in this semiotic realm. But as Polyani pointed out to those who proceeded him, they were in the middle of it all and couldn’t see it clearly. We are in the middle of it all now, and our future is unclear.
In the end I’m left with this conviction; that HOWEVER the world was before the industrial revolution, AND however the process happened as it changed, AND whatever it’s like now, AND whoever could guess where it’s going, MAY this quote from the prophet of the brave new world give us our definition of our current reality.
“Armaments, universal debt, and planned obsolescence – those are the three pillars of western prosperity.”
~ Aldous Huxley
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[1] Karl Polyani, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time (Boston: Beacon Press, 2007).
[2] Ha-Joon Chang, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You about Capitalism (Doha: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation, 2013).
[3] Ekrick, Roger, “At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past” interview by Connie Doebele. C-SPAN 2: Book TV, March 24, 2006
[4] Holladay, William Lee. “Indications of segmented sleep in the Bible.” CBQ 69, no. 2 (2007): 215-221 and McAlpine, Thomas H. Sleep, Divine & Human, in the Old Testament. JSOTSup 38. Sheffield: JSOT Press, 1987, pp. 215.
[5] TheVerge, “Bill Gates Interview: How the World Will Change by 2030,” YouTube, January 22, 2015, accessed February 03, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RETFyDKcw0.
[6] Elon Musk, “The Future We’re Building — and Boring,” YouTube, May 03, 2017, accessed February 03, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIwLWfaAg-8.
7 responses to “Brave New World. Lost Old World.”
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Hi Kyle,
I am sitting on waiting knees wondering where in the Bible it talks about segmented sleep? You quote a book, but I want the short cut–what chapter and book refers to this?
Very thought provoking article written by you! And you closed with a bang. Those three pillars of Western prosperity really stretched my thinking…
Interesting post as usual Kyle! I appreciated you educating me on the history of sleep patterns, I can now sleep better at night knowing this 🙂 I also think it is interesting to speculate where society is headed and what the Polyanis will be writing about next. Since you seem to be up on the latest news and technology, I’m curious where you think we are headed. Also love the Aldous Huxley quote at the end.
Kyle,
Your post just made me want to take a nap. Not that it was boring at all, but bring back the pre-industrial revolution. Perhaps that should be the new mantra of the church; “2 sleeps per day keeps temptation at bay”. What do you think?
Kyle,
This was a thought-provoking post! Thank you. I think you might be on to something.
As you know, I have always been drawn to the Latino cultures. Maybe the daily siesta is why? Somehow having that nap provides a break in the day and a regaining of one’s humanity. North Americans might mock the idea of napping, but there is something about it that allows for a realignment of priorities, an acknowledgement that my own busyness can’t solve all problems, and a surrender to One who can.
I wonder as we move to a world where robots do all the unsavoury jobs, and we are free to experience three-day work weeks, that we might take up napping again. Maybe things are coming back to the way they should be?
Kyle,
There are times I think I live in the 19 century. China is said to be going through its industrial revolution and tech revolution at the same time. I say that because we live in far to the southwest where more traditional Chinese culture is still prevalent.(are you at the “so what, Greg” 🙂 Our area still have a “siesta” time from noon to 2:30 every day. This can be seen starkly in the smaller cities and towns. If you are late to lunch (be in 1:00) you might have to wake the servers and cooks up as they are all leaned over a table taking a nap. I know it isn’t exactly what your were referencing in the “second sleep” idea. Yet it got me thinking about our need for more sleep and the contrast of our need to succeed make something, do something or be seen doing something. What’s next? Good question Kyle! What else is this world going to sacrifice to get ahead and achieve its definition of success.
I have heard of this! Thanks for further enlightening me (pun definitely intended). I think you make an interesting point, namely, that the loss of second sleep caused by the industrial revolution altered even the biology of humanity, so we can expect further unimaginable evolutions(?) with the continual advancement of technology. Yikes.
Kyle,
I’m here reading this after the end of the Super Bowl between the Patriots and Eagles. As for the game, I’m saying, “that was crazy!” And as for your post, I have a similar response! I think this is a good example of the different ways that we all read and think about what we’re learning. Thanks for the reflection on sleep, strange as it may seem!