Prior to the printing press, knowledge had but one mode of mass distribution; word of mouth. These words could arrive through the whispered gossiping of a neighbor, the passionate preaching of a secular or religious orator, or a public decree recited by some royal emissary. The limitations of the spoken word, however, make it virtually impossible for the original speaker's ideas to remain pure as it is spread through society. Only the written word can keep the author's own ideas accurate.
The advance of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionized the way that wars of ideas could be fought. Before, ideas might be put forth as excuses or causes, but their wars could only be waged by those in power. All it took to Christianize the Roman Empire was a simple decision by Constantine. On the other hand, fire and bloodshed were required for Charlemagne to convert the pagan Saxons in the 8th century.
With the printing press, even a simple scholar (such as William Tyndale) could turn the whole world on its head. With the written word able to be produced en masse, ideas could spread quickly and precisely. Suddenly, a conflict of ideas couldn't just be resolved by the decision-making powers of a monarch. Suddenly, everyone got involved.
It seems to me that prior to the advent of the printing press, "cultural revolutions," at least in the modern sense, never really existed. Religions prospered or died under the thumb of empires, and cultural idiosyncrasies never challenged an established political order, they merely squirmed underneath it to try to get more comfortable. Real change was wrought only by the wars or whims of those in power.
Since the written word has become widely available, we have seen the rise of personal religion, the rise of democracy, the rise of identity equality; these are all ideas that, whether for better or worse, no Dark Ages despot would ever embrace. As more individuals in a society become important, the balance of power shifts. In fact, I'm even tempted to think that without the printing press or subsequent advances in the technology of communication, maybe our world today would function much the same as it did a thousand years ago. What do you think?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Savonarola-preaching-against-prodigality-ludwig-von-langenmantel-1879.jpg
With the printing press, even a simple scholar (such as William Tyndale) could turn the whole world on its head. With the written word able to be produced en masse, ideas could spread quickly and precisely. Suddenly, a conflict of ideas couldn't just be resolved by the decision-making powers of a monarch. Suddenly, everyone got involved.
It seems to me that prior to the advent of the printing press, "cultural revolutions," at least in the modern sense, never really existed. Religions prospered or died under the thumb of empires, and cultural idiosyncrasies never challenged an established political order, they merely squirmed underneath it to try to get more comfortable. Real change was wrought only by the wars or whims of those in power.
Since the written word has become widely available, we have seen the rise of personal religion, the rise of democracy, the rise of identity equality; these are all ideas that, whether for better or worse, no Dark Ages despot would ever embrace. As more individuals in a society become important, the balance of power shifts. In fact, I'm even tempted to think that without the printing press or subsequent advances in the technology of communication, maybe our world today would function much the same as it did a thousand years ago. What do you think?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Savonarola-preaching-against-prodigality-ludwig-von-langenmantel-1879.jpg
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