3-2-1.... BLAST-OFF?

William Wilberforce!

In this chapter, I learned that utilitarianism isn't about utilities or work, or anything like that. I learned that it is an idea that governments are only useful if they promote the greatest good for the greatest number of people. I also learned that blogs are fun! Well, just kidding on that last one, I already knew that blogs are fun! I actually learned that a man named William Wilberforce led the fight for abolition in Britain, AND that he didn't do it because it posed an economic threat, like some people believed, he opposed slavery because it was morally wrong. A third thing that I learned was that kids nine and up were allowed to work in factories, even after child labor "ended." Instead, they just worked a shorter day than everyone else. I don't really agree with this, but then again, I wasn't alive during that time period, so I have no idea what it would be like.

I found a couple of things interesting about this chapter as well. For instance, I thought that it was interesting that the Agricultural Revolution was followed immediately by the Industrial Revolution. I guess it was coming, but I didn't realize that they were actually that close together! I also found the ideas of Karl Marx pretty interesting, especially when I read the History of Western Philosophy, but that might have been because I learned cool terms like "dialectical materialism" and "dialectical idealism" (basically, I like the sound of the word "dialectical"). I also found his idea of this utopian society that we should always strive for. I like that he focused on that.

The only question I have left is about how industrialization spread through other areas of the world. I found this chapter to be really interesting, and it left me wanting to know more about industrialization and its effects on society. Not only did it make things easier, it changed the way people thought, and I think that something that can change the way that people think is worth knowing more about.