Civilization on Trial Slides Civilization on Trial
The Great Agricultural Debate
The Hook
"This Machine Kills Fascists"
Woody Guthrie put this sticker on his guitar. It was a weapon for "civilization" against "savagery."
Discuss:
What does it mean to be "civilized"?
What does it mean to be a "savage"?
Who gets to decide?
THIS MACHINE
The Big Shift
Foraging Era
200,000+ Years
Small, mobile groups (nomadic)
Mostly egalitarian (equal)
Adapted themselves to nature
Agrarian Era
Last 10,000 Years
Sedentary life (staying in one place)
Social hierarchy & property
Adapted nature to themselves
The Debate
6:39 – 7:44
Embedded media
Hobbes
Civilization is the only thing keeping us from killing each other.
Rousseau
Civilization is the cage that destroyed our natural freedom.
The Great Debate
Split the class into two teams. You must defend your philosopher's worldview using evidence from the video.
Rules of War:
Open with your philosopher's definition of "Human Nature."
Provide 3 pieces of historical evidence.
Explain: Was the Agricultural Revolution a net positive or negative?
Team Hobbes
"Life is nasty, brutish, and short."
Focus on: Protection, Surplus, Laws, and Complexity.
Team Rousseau
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."
Focus on: Equality, Health, Leisure, and Corrupt Property.
Exit Ticket
"Would you rather be a prehistoric forager or an ancient farmer? Why?"
Drop your slip in the bin on your way out
Civilization Discussion Cards Civilization on Trial
Evidence Cards for The Great Debate
Use these evidence cards to support your team's argument. Look for connections between the data provided and your philosopher's view of human happiness.
Team Hobbes: Evidence 01
Collective Learning
Farming allowed the population to grow from 6 million to 50 million in just 6,000 years. This increased the number of "potential innovators" living close together.
Argument: Density leads to faster innovation and shared knowledge, lifting us out of "brutish" survival.
Team Rousseau: Evidence 01
Health & Physical Toll
Settling down brought "back-breaking labor" and diseases that moved easily through dense populations. Foragers were often taller and healthier than early farmers.
Argument: We sacrificed physical well-being for a sedentary life that nature never intended for us.
Team Hobbes: Evidence 02
Agrarian Surplus
Farming created extra food. This allowed for specialists: doctors, judges, leaders, and artists. Without surplus, everyone is just looking for their next meal.
Argument: Complex society allows people to follow their passions rather than just surviving.
Team Rousseau: Evidence 02
The Rise of Hierarchy
Surplus led to states, which led to social classes. Suddenly, some people were "above" others. Equality ended once people started claiming land as "property."
Argument: Civilization didn't free us; it created "chains" of hierarchy and inequality.
Team Hobbes: Evidence 03
Energy Capture
Agriculture captures 10x more energy from the sun per acre than foraging. It is the only way to support the "complexity" of the human species.
Argument: Progress is inevitable. We are using the laws of physics to prevent our species from descending into "chaos."
Team Rousseau: Evidence 03
The Malthusian Trap
Humans breed until they hit the "carrying capacity" of their environment, leading to inevitable famine, disease, and war. Agriculture just makes the crash bigger.
Argument: We are stuck in a cycle of boom and bust. Foragers lived in balance with the environment.
Cut along borders
Source: Crash Course Big History #7
Civilization Exit Ticket Exit Ticket
Name:
Date:
Would you rather be a prehistoric forager or an ancient farmer? Why?
Civilization on Trial Unit 1: The Big Shift
Exit Ticket
Name:
Date:
Would you rather be a prehistoric forager or an ancient farmer? Why?
Civilization on Trial Unit 1: The Big Shift
Exit Ticket
Name:
Date:
Would you rather be a prehistoric forager or an ancient farmer? Why?
Civilization on Trial Unit 1: The Big Shift
Exit Ticket
Name:
Date:
Would you rather be a prehistoric forager or an ancient farmer? Why?
Civilization on Trial Unit 1: The Big Shift
Civilization Teacher Guide Civilization on Trial
Teacher Facilitation Guide
Duration
50 Min
Learning Objective
Students will evaluate the transition from foraging to agriculture by debating the philosophical views of Thomas Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, using evidence from Crash Course Big History to determine if civilization was a net positive for human happiness.
Materials
Slide Deck
Discussion Cards
Exit Tickets
1
The Hook: "This Machine Kills Fascists" (5 min)
Display Slide 2. Use the Woody Guthrie quote to spark a definitions brainstorm.
"Guthrie called his guitar a weapon for 'civilization.' But who defines what is civilized? Is a farmer more 'civilized' than a forager? Why or why not?"
2
Viewing & Note-Taking (10 min)
Play the segment from 6:39 to 7:44 (Slide 4). Have students draw a T-chart in their notebooks.
Hobbes: Human nature is chaotic; states provide safety. Life is "nasty, brutish, and short" without it.Rousseau: Humans were naturally equal; property and civilization "corrupted" us and put us in "chains."
3
The Great Debate (25 min)
Split the class into Team Hobbes and Team Rousseau. Hand out the **Discussion Cards**.
Team Hobbes Prompts
Focus on the benefits of surplus: art, science, and the "Energy Capture" that makes modernity possible. Challenge the other side: "Without farming, would you even be here?"
Team Rousseau Prompts
Focus on the "Malthusian Trap" and health. Challenge the other side: "Is a longer life better if it's spent in a hierarchy working a field for someone else?"
4
Closure: Exit Ticket (5 min)
Distribute the Exit Ticket . Students must commit to one lifestyle and provide a specific piece of evidence from the debate to justify their choice.
Teaching Tips
Discussion Facilitation
If the debate stalls, introduce the "Alcohol" point from the video (4:06). Did we invent farming just to have safe water (beer)? Does that change the "happiness" argument?
Deep Dive
Ask students to consider the "Gardens of Eden" theory. If humans were "trapped" into farming by climate change, does that support Hobbes (necessity) or Rousseau (corruption)?
