Edward Gibbon on climate change

[nwhyte]

Along with my various other reading projects I'm slowly working through Gibbon, who may not be a laugh a minute but has a surprising number of jokes. I was struck by his conclusions regarding climate change, which are more or less along the right lines if not quite for the right reasons:

Comments

[yea_mon]

What Gibbons means by the word 'savage' and what we mean by it nowadays may be quite different.

One old book where I've come across its repeated use is Isabella Bird's Unbeaten Tracks in Japan where it seems to mean 'uncivilized', and not 'violent' as is the modern connotation.

[nwhyte]

But would Bird have used the word to describe English peasants?

[yea_mon]

Firstly, I'm not sure the word 'peasants' would have been in use as a descriptive word (as opposed to a pejorative word) in the late 19th Century, which was Bird's era.

If she was talking about peasants historically I would doubt she would use the word as even peasants would be considered part of civilization.

If she was talking about contemporary English farm labourers I don't think she would use the word unless the people in question were acting in an uncivilized manner.

As to the thrust of your question - are you suggesting some prejudice on Bird's part?

[nwhyte]

I have no idea about Bird's views; it just seems to me that "savage" is a pretty pejorative word, whether used by her or by Gibbon, and you haven't really convinced me otherwise!