A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry
A look at history and popular culture
This is the fourth thread of the fourth part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb, IVc) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers, who make up a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. We're thus probing here was has been, in effect, the modal human experience. Over … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVd: Spinning Plates
Hey folks, Fireside this week! Next week we should be back to start looking at the other half of labor in the peasant household, everything that isn't agriculture. Also, here are some cats: Catching that perfectly timed Percy-yawn, while Ollie (below) is doing his best Percy impression with those narrowed eyes. For this week's musing, … Continue reading Fireside Friday, September 19, 2025 (On the Use and Abuse of Malthus)
This is the third piece of the fourth part of our series (I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IVa, IVb) looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers – a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. Last time, we started looking at the subsistence of peasant agriculture by considering the productivity of our … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVc: Rent and Extraction
This is the continuation - the first of several - of the fourth part of our series looking at the lives of pre-modern peasant farmers - a majority of all of the humans who have ever lived. Last time we discussed the survival requirements (in food and textiles) of a peasant household as well as … Continue reading Collections: Life, Work, Death and the Peasant, Part IVb: Working Days