No.34: System comparison: feudal rule vs Electric Technocracy
- Mike Miller
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 7
Feudal Rule – The System of Dependency
I. Definition: What is Feudal Rule?
Feudal rule, also known as feudalism, is a historical system of governance and society that was especially prevalent in medieval Europe. A lord (usually a king or prince) granted land or rights to a vassal, who in return owed loyalty, military service, or tributes.
It was a system of mutual but heavily hierarchical dependencies, based on personal bonds rather than state institutions.
II. Structures and Characteristics
Feudal Pyramid: King at the top, followed by dukes, counts, knights—at the bottom, the serfs
Hereditary Rule: Offices and fiefs were usually inherited, creating a rigid aristocracy
Privatized Power: Justice, policing, and military were often controlled by local nobles
Fragmentation of Power: No unified state—each lord ruled his territory like a small sovereign
Status over Citizenship: Individual rights depended on social rank and personal allegiance
III. Abuses and Social Consequences
Exploitation and Dependency
Serfs had to give up to 80% of their yield to landlords
No freedom of occupation or movement—people were bound to land and lord
Legal Insecurity
No unified legislation: justice was dispensed by the lord—often arbitrarily
Ban on Education
Peasants and lower classes had almost no access to education—knowledge was the privilege of clergy and nobility
Military Exploitation
Vassals were obliged to go to war with their entourage—many died for the interests of foreign lords
Obstruction of Progress
Technological and societal development was blocked to preserve existing power structures
IV. Historical Examples
Holy Roman Empire (962–1806): No central power—fragmentation, endless succession wars
Feudal France before 1789: Peasant uprisings, famines, societal stagnation—culminated in the French Revolution
Japanese Shōgunate (12th–19th century): Samurai warrior nobility, land as power base—similar to European feudalism
V. Transition to Modernity
The French Revolution ended feudal rule in large parts of Europe. Its slogan “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” was a clear rejection of the feudal order. With industrialization, the feudal system finally collapsed—but many of its mentalities persist today in authoritarian structures and social inequality.
VI. Comparison with Electronic Technocracy
Feudal Rule | Electronic Technocracy |
Power by birth | Power through competence and transparency |
Law by social rank | Law through universal principles |
Education as privilege | Education as a fundamental right |
Dependency | Sovereignty |
Hierarchical control | Networked intelligence systems |
Electronic Technocracy not only overcomes nobility and hereditary privilege—it abolishes the very principle of domination, in favor of data-driven, adaptive governance grounded in universal ethics and civic participation.
VII. Conclusion
Feudal rule was a system of systematic oppression, built on dependency, lack of freedom, and arbitrariness. It symbolizes a world order where birth decided fate—not reason, dignity, or justice.
Electronic Technocracy offers, for the first time, a real possibility to design systems where no one rules over another—but where information, ethics, and humanity collectively determine the course.
Wikipedia Links
Deutsch
English
PoliticalWiki: Electric Technocracy
Elektrische Technokratie Podcast & Song
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