Yes, there are scholars and thinkers who have explored the idea that medieval [[Society]], while [[hierarchical]] in many respects, may have had certain aspects that were less rigidly stratified or oppressive than modern capitalist societies. This perspective often arises in historical [[Sociology]], political theory, and critiques of modernity. Below are some points and figures who have engaged with this idea: **Medieval Society and Hierarchies** 1. **Subsidiarity and Localism** In medieval [[Europe]], local communities often had more direct [[Control]] over their affairs. Feudalism involved mutual obligations between lords and vassals, and peasants often had customary rights to land and resources, which were protected by tradition. 2. **Guilds and Commons** The economic structure included guilds and [[The Commons]]. Guilds were cooperative associations of tradespeople that regulated professions and provided social support, while the commons represented shared resources managed collectively by local communities. 3. **Religious Egalitarianism** Christianity in the Middle Ages, especially through monastic orders and movements like the Franciscans, promoted some ideals of spiritual equality, offering a counterbalance to temporal hierarchies. 4. **Wealth Inequality** Some argue that medieval Europe saw less wealth inequality than in modern capitalist societies. While kings and nobles controlled large resources, the extreme concentration of wealth seen today (e.g., billionaires owning vast percentages of global wealth) was less pronounced. **Writers and Thinkers Addressing These Ideas** 1. **E.P. Thompson** While primarily focused on the early modern period, Thompson’s work on the “moral [[Economics|Economy]]” of pre-industrial societies highlights how customary rights and communal norms protected the poor in ways [[Capitalism]] dismantled. 2. **Marc Bloch** In _Feudal Society_, Bloch illustrates the complexity of medieval social relations, noting how interdependencies between social classes often mitigated the harshness of feudal hierarchies. 3. **Peter Linebaugh and David Graeber** Both have critiqued the enclosure of commons and the rise of capitalism for destroying communal structures that existed during the Middle Ages. Linebaugh’s _The Magna Carta Manifesto_ examines how medieval charters upheld common rights. 4. **Ivan Illich** Illich critiqued modern institutional hierarchies, arguing that medieval societies, despite their inequalities, allowed for more autonomous and communal ways of life. 5. **[[James C. Scott]]** While not focused on medieval Europe specifically, Scott’s works on pre-modern states, like _The Art of Not Being Governed_, explore how less centralised societies often resisted hierarchy in subtle ways. 6. **Medievalists Influenced by Marxism** Scholars like Rodney Hilton and Christopher Dyer have examined the peasantry and its role in feudal economies, highlighting how communal structures and resistance to feudal authority could sometimes counteract rigid hierarchies. **Critiques of Modernity** • **Centralisation and [[Bureaucracy]]** Some argue that modern states and [[Corporations]] impose more pervasive control over individual lives than medieval lords, through mechanisms like surveillance, corporate hierarchies, and wage labour dependency. • **Capitalism and Alienation** Critics of capitalism, such as David Harvey and Silvia Federici, have pointed out that the transition from feudalism to capitalism introduced new forms of exploitation, such as wage [[Slavery]], that were absent in medieval societies. **What to Take from This Perspective** • The view does not idealise the Middle Ages but rather critiques modern assumptions about progress, showing that not all hierarchies in [[History]] have functioned in the same way. • It highlights the value of [[Community]], local governance, and economic systems that resist extreme centralisation and inequality. If you’re interested in further exploration, works like [[David Graeber]]’s _Debt: The First 5000 Years_ or Linebaugh and Rediker’s _The Many-Headed Hydra_ can offer broader contexts connecting these ideas to critiques of modernity. `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` [[Digital index]]