- Published: January 7, 2022
- Updated: January 7, 2022
- University / College: College of William and Mary
- Language: English
- Downloads: 10
Complete Name of the Professor
“ Material forces drive history”
Material refers to anything substantial or, more precisely, made of matter. “ Material forces drive history” means to say that it is our interactions with the material world that drive us to perform in a particular way and to do certain things, rather than our interactions with the spiritual worlds. Although this is arguable, the largest contributing factor to wars of all kinds in the course of world history have been access and privilege to the resources mainly food and water. Nowadays, religious wars like The Crusades transpired, if taken at its face value, as a result of a spiritual decree. Though in reality, the recuperation of the Holy Land was again a material concern due to the fact that even though the land was considered “ holy”, the whole endeavor was about occupying space—in this case, land—after all.
The European and American conquests and their constant battle for land contributed a lot to the history of many countries they had conquered long before. Cultures, traditions, belief system, and many other aspect of living had been affected by these endless battles for material resources even in today’s generation. Even the civil rights movement that was offered elsewhere as an example of non-material driving forces was still about material resources. It was the fight for the right to own land and acquire wealth—which are material means for independence. This only means that the world’s history is shaped and molded by material resources. Our progress, as humans, is dependent on the material things that surround us and our desire to attain it. In the light of information revolution wherein new things are being discovered, the future of material forces will be driven by the changing needs of the public and the interest of the various sectors o the society.
