The seven ages of man, why does society, seem to, follow so closely?

[dimreepr]

Obviously this is a broad analogy, but it does seem to fit the development of societies in general, although the first three requires a stretch of imagination. I have my own ideas as to the possible reasons for this, which I’ll keep to myself, for now, lest I steer the discussion. The following is an analysis, of Shakespeare’s poem, from wiki...

 

 

Infancy: In this stage he is a helpless baby and knows little.

 

Childhood: It is that stage of life that he begins to go to school. He is unwilling to leave the protected environment of his home as he is still not confident enough to exercise his own discretion.

 

The lover: In this stage he is always remorseful due to some reason or other, especially the loss of love. He tries to express feelings through song or some other cultural activity.

 

The soldier: It is in this age that he thinks less of himself and begins to think more of others. He is very easily aroused and is hot headed. He is always working towards making a reputation for himself and gaining recognition, however short-lived it may be, even at the cost of his own life.

 

The justice: In this stage he has acquired wisdom through the many experiences he has had in life. He has reached a stage where he has gained prosperity and social status. He becomes very attentive of his looks and begins to enjoy the finer things of life.

 

Pantaloon: He begins to lose his charm — both physical and mental. He begins to become the butt of others' jokes. He loses his firmness and assertiveness, and shrinks in stature and personality.

 

Childishness: He loses his status and he becomes a non-entity. He becomes dependent on others like a child and is in need of constant support before finally dying.

 

 

Your thoughts?

 

 

[EquisDeXD]

Obviously this is a broad analogy, but it does seem to fit the development of societies in general, although the first three requires a stretch of imagination. I have my own ideas as to the possible reasons for this, which I'll keep to myself, for now, lest I steer the discussion. The following is an analysis, of Shakespeare's poem, from wiki...

 

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Your thoughts?

 

 

 

Seems like a depiction of the aging process while simultaneously possibly the cycle of a government, which isn't completely accurate.

[dimreepr]

Seems like a depiction of the aging process while simultaneously possibly the cycle of a government, which isn't completely accurate.

 

 

Not at all, the cycle of a single government is much too short term. I’m talking about the cycle of a society as a whole, which is often many centuries. I apologise, for the ambiguity.

 

 

[EquisDeXD]

Not at all, the cycle of a single government is much too short term. I'm talking about the cycle of a society as a whole, which is often many centuries. I apologise, for the ambiguity.

 

 

 

Well I think in this case society = government, because you ahead government that starts out with its problems and people try to modify it to work, then eventually people get greedy and as the government erodes away, eventually leading to it's collapse and then another cycle starts.

[dimreepr]

Well I think in this case society = government, because you ahead government that starts out with its problems and people try to modify it to work, then eventually people get greedy and as the government erodes away, eventually leading to it's collapse and then another cycle starts.

 

Seems to me this is just a case of semantics, you say society = government but this is really an over-simplification of what we see in society as a whole. You are making a huge assumption and as such it has very little justification in the real world.

 

 

[EquisDeXD]

Seems to me this is just a case of semantics, you say society = government but this is really an over-simplification of what we see in society as a whole. You are making a huge assumption and as such it has very little justification in the real world.

 

Well can you then elaborate on just how it describes global society? Because in global society, as with a government, you have the cycles of birth, high times, low times, then collapse, then the cycle starts over somewhere else.

Edited October 15, 2012 by EquisDeXD