Analysis of the Social Cycle Theory - Cyclical Nature of Social Dominance

The theory suggests that societal dominance cycles through four main classes: labourers, warriors, intellectuals and merchants. This cyclical pattern posits that each class rises to prominence, dominates society, and then falls, giving way to the next class in the cycle. It is not necessarily intended as providing specific historical accuracy, but as a generalist theory. Similar observations can be drawn from various historical contexts where different classes or groups have risen to prominence at different times — such as the feudal warrior aristocracy in medieval Europe, the intellectual dominance during the Enlightenment, or the rise of mercantile powers during the commercial revolutions in England and other countries.

The Labourer Age

Initially, all individuals were primarily engaged in manual labour, as they struggle out of a state of nature, which can be termed the Labourer Age. This is reflective of prehistoric times when survival depended directly on physical labour, hunting, and gathering. The transition from a labourer-dominated society to one led by warriors or tribal leaders can be linked to the development of agricultural societies, where control over land and resources became paramount. Control implies some kind of means to assert direction for the various clans or communities that developed.

The Warrior Age

Following the Labourer Age, societies evolved to value strength and bravery, qualities embodied by warriors or tribal chiefs. This era corresponds to periods of territorial expansion and conflict, where military prowess was crucial. The decline of warrior dominance typically comes from internal decadence or external conquest, leading to a shift towards more structured governance systems.

The Intellectual Age

As societies grew more complex, the value of knowledge and intellectual capabilities increases, leading to the dominance of thinkers, philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders. This Intellectual Age is marked by the development of laws, ethical systems, and technological advancements.

The Mercantile Age

Eventually, economic power shifts the balance, bringing merchants and producers to the forefront. This reflects the historical rise of capitalist economies and industrial societies. However, in its deepest context it means the prevalence of producers in society, which could be industrialists, but also farmers are an important group of people that are producers, and in relation to land holdings this has produced conflicts with farmers in various various societies around the world over the centuries. What is also important, is that in the Mercantile Age the dominance of producers, who become acquisitors amassing excessive wealth, starts reducing warriors and intellectuals to labourers (physically or intellectually) or essentially persons dependent on mercantilists or today capitalists in the same way that the general mass of labour is, which comes about through economic exploitation. So, this also hints at Marxist interpretations of capitalist society dynamics, but which does not reduce society to the binary of workers versus capitalists, but rather recognizes the contribution of the warrior mentality and intellectual mentality in the struggle for social and economic justice.

Revolution and Recurrence

The social cycle theorizes that excessive exploitation during the Mercantile Age leads to a revolution, typically started by  disgruntled labourers, being those who have warrior and intellectual capability, and in due course bringing in the whole labourer class (the general mass of workers). This does not fully align with Marxist theories of proletarian revolution, but does recognize that some form of massive change takes place, though it does not suggest how long this would take and is flexible regarding the type of force it may involve (e.g. physical, strategic, intellectual, socio-economic, spiritual).

After the revolution, the social cycle anticipates a return to the Warrior Age, led by those who were brave and strong in the revolution, suggesting a reset of the cycle. That reset does not mean the characteristics of the early Warrior Age are precisely replicated. One instead has to think how are the propensities of the warrior mentality expressed in a new Warrior Age.

Summary of Social Cycle

The theory of the social cycle can be understood through the lens of phase transitions, where different phases represent distinct social orders. Initially, the lack of society is a disordered state in which manual labour becomes important and is predominant. This is the Labourer Age. As a system evolves, energy or power becomes concentrated in the hands of the strong and brave in the Warrior Age. Thus, a phase transition has occurred and people are more organized. Further evolution sees the rise of intellectuals, marking the Intellectual Age. By now society's complexity has increased and information (knowledge) is highly valued. The final phase, the Mercantile Age, is characterized by the dominance of producers, a good number of which become capitalists who accumulate excessive wealth leading to underlying stress across society.

When in the Mercantile Age the exploitation of warriors and intellectuals reduces them to the equivalent of manual labourers, a critical point is reached, triggering a demand for a phase transition or revolution. This is akin to a system reaching a tipping point, where the accumulated stress causes a rapid change in state. The cycle then flows again with a new, but brief, Labourer Age, followed by a new Warrior Age. This 'restart' is driven by those who led the revolution, being the disgruntled intellectual and disgruntled warrior who inspire (briefly) the proletariat.

Understanding this cyclical model provides insights into the periodic nature of social structures, highlighting the importance of balance and the inevitability of change.

Further Considerations

The theory provides a compelling explanation, but its application to historical circumstances gives rise to debate as to how the relevant forces are at work that are churning the social cycle. However, it is a powerful tool of analysis - a lens by which to view society and social change. Many factors such as geography, culture, external influences, and random events greatly influence societal development. An example, is the colonization by Empires on indigenous peoples and how the social cycles of two societies come together. 

Nevertheless, the theory implies a pattern, but it is difficult to say that this amounts to historical determinism. Determinism oversimplifies the complexities of human societies and their capacity for change. Modern societies are also increasingly complex and much analysis is required as to how the psychologies or propensities of those with labourer, warrior, intellectual and mercantile inclinations are operating. Though, today, those persons with producer/mercantile inclinations are more obvious. Contemporary global interactions, technology, and political ideologies have created new forms of social organization that also challenge categorizations or their understandings. Today, it is necessary to account for a broader range of variables and modern complexities, including for understanding the psychologies of labourers/workers, warriors, intellectual and producers/mercantilists.