Neolithic Revolution Essay Example

A pig squeals in pain as a sharp blade slices through its nose. The pig tries to sniff, but it cannot. It cannot smell food and it cannot sniff to find its way around. Now, the pig is completely dependent on its human owner. There is no way the pig can escape (Harari 10). This would not have been possible without the Neolithic Revolution. The revolution changed the human lifestyle from hunting and gathering to using agriculture. It brought so many awful things to the world that barely existed during the Paleolithic era. The Neolithic Revolution was a massive mistake in history because it brought inequality, harmed the environment, spread disease, and started animal cruelty.

Inequality has been an issue for hundreds of years. The revolution changed the gender balance for the worse (Stearns 7). After the Neolithic Revolution, men started having superiority over women. Although there were hints of inequality during the Paleolithic era, the inequality problem got so much worse after agriculture was created. One way inequality got worse was with slavery. Slaves would be captured and then “marched along in neck shackles” (Lanchester 5) to make sure they would not escape. They would have to work in sweltering fields for hours. Slaves and people in poverty would live a lower quality of life. Poverty would not exist without civilizations, which came about after the revolution (Sahlins 5). In Chinese civilizations, rulers had power over everybody. One famous ruler, known as the Son of Heaven, ruled by the Mandate of Heaven as long as he governed with kindness. Since the ruler had more power, everybody would listen to them. During the Paleolithic era, there were no rulers. Everybody listened to each other and everybody was equal.

Humans use the earth’s resources every day. We use so much that “we are in danger of undermining many of the natural systems on which our lives depend” (Goudie 11). Soon enough we will run out of resources and we will not be able to support our population. Some people say that we would have run out of resources no matter what, but if the revolution did not happen we would be running out of resources at a much slower pace. Now, we see land as something we can own and possess (Goudie 10). We cut down trees, mine for stones, and destroy the homes of animals. The population continues to grow as we use more resources, which means disease and parasites can spread faster (Diamond 3). During the Paleolithic era, the diseases would not spread as fast because people were in much smaller groups with fewer animals.

Animals are being harmed every day because of the power we have over them. In New Guinea, it is normal to gouge out pig’s eyes so they cannot see (Harari 10). These pigs have to suffer, so they can later be killed and eaten. Without the revolution, such animal cruelty would not exist. In most places around the world, domesticated cattle and chickens are slaughtered just a few weeks after they are born (Harari 10). The revolution brought domestication, which has tortured so many animals. Animals carry goods, transport people, and pull plows. They are used for work so that humans have less to do. People might say that we would use animals for work no matter what, but during the Paleolithic era, we tortured animals far less than we do today.

In conclusion, the Neolithic revolution was an enormous mistake because it initiated inequality, hurt the environment, spread disease, and began animal cruelty. It brought so many horrifying ways of life that were not around during the Paleolithic era. For example, it brought the torcher of animals. Although people killed animals then, they didn’t cut off their noses or gouge out their eyes. Many people think that the Neolithic Revolution happened for the best, but it did not because of all the reasons I stated earlier. There are so many reasons why the revolution was bad for humans. Without the Neolithic Revolution, we would be living in a much happier world.