DeCosta 1

Jacob DeCosta

Mr. Smith

Junior ELA

9 November 2023

The Industrial Revolution and The Human Condition

The Industrial Revolution was if not the most important thing that humans have

developed and created in the 19th to 20th century. Promoting a better living standard, the

advancement in technology, but also a large societal change. While people argue that the

Industrial Revolution was largely beneficial for humans and society, the effects left by it in the

21st century led to a sociopolitical order. That was brought on by the Revolution and led to a

servitude that limits one's personal freedom and the implication of a controlling educational

system.

The Industrial Revolution with the newly found inclusion of mass production of goods

would find that many of those who are self employed would not be able to keep up with the rate

in which goods could be produced. leading people to transition from being self employed to

being employed under a company or cooperation. Looking for instance at the Industrial

Revolution in the United States towards the end. In 1900 50% of the US population was self

employed. However in 1977 that number had dropped to just 7%. (Peters) On itself there isn't

harm with being employed but with less and less land available within the United States,

government regulation on how much you have to be involved with things such as the powergrid.

Self reliance and self employment proceeds to get frequently harder and unattainable. However

this would have a larger psychological effect on the now employed populus causing the rise of the

power process. The Power Process Consists of 3 main parts: “ goal, effort and attainment of goal.”

(Kaczynski) These goals aren't limited to one specific thing, it could be work related, it could be one's
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economic status, one's house or residence yet they all hold the same commonality. They are all artificially

made goals, known as surrogate activities which is defined as “an activity that is directed toward an

artificial goal that the individual pursues for the sake of the “fulfillment” that he gets from pursuing the

goal, not because he needs to attain the goal itself.” (Kaczynski) However, to disclaim, with the Power

Process The goal that is being attained is one of surrogate origins rather than a task at hand, as the Power

Processes definition is quite broad in its meaning. The artificial goal or Surrogate Activity can be

particularly harmful to one's freedoms as the pursuit of such activities can for many people never be

enough. Many surrogate activities are not limited to just personal accomplishment. Many surrogate

activities are created and led by marketing and selling of certain products. Causing people to want to

desire things that years before no one had sought out for or cared for. The Power Process Can financially

disable people due to this fact. Where if you back say 150 years within America where people worked for

themselves. Had a sense of community with one's town there had been no such desire or need of

fulfillment that was artificial. One could say that the Surrogate Activity holds no real harmful effects as

hobbies for instance could be considered a Surrogate Activity. While that may be true the Surrogate

Activity like most things if in moderation is not directly harmful but it's the constant pursuit of the

activity, if overwhelming other things such as providing for family or oneself that it can be considered

harmful. One could get the fulfillment many have sought for the beginning of time in providing for a

family, a neighbor, and continuing one's bloodline. So with the introduction of the artificially produced

Power Process by the lack of self reliance and self employment within the main populous today it greatly

limits the freedom of one's life as the desire to fulfill the Surrogate Activity can over take one's desire for

something that could be considered natural, such as the nuclear family. The Power Process Is frequently

used to obtain some sort of power over others or heightening one's social status. As for example the titles

within a company, it's commonly found that the higher up within a company the higher the ego, now even

all this isn't the case for every company it still is a common occurrence. The leading reason behind this is

due to some sort of past trauma so the inflated ego compensates for it (Hein) These egos that are

commonly found are ones Power Processes they are trying to fulfill power and a goal so the use of an ego
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drives the want for more. Again one could argue that coping isn't necessarily the power process, but if the

coping is the pursuit of a goal for sake of gaining fulfillment rather than the goal itself. It's a prime

example of the Power Process And its effects. The Power Process And the Surrogate Activity are

demonstrations of the harm physiological effects of the Industrial Revolution, and the following of these

limits the personal freedoms of one's person as the pursuit of fulfillment for many can be never ending

especially when it is led by another person's accomplishments or marketing of an object.

The resulting effect of the Industrial Revolution is the constant expansion of STEM,

leading to pressures in the education system to enforce these fields onto children. Causing

unnatural stress and anxiety put onto children. Modern day infrastructure is reliant on mechanical

and architectural engineers, mathematicians, chemists for modern medicine and so forth. This

undoubtedly creates a competitive school environment for adolescents which was not as

prominent pre Industrial Revolution as many of these jobs had not existed yet or been largely

sought out for. As the average child would have been grown to support a family, take on a family

profession, or go into some sort of laboring job. While there were still engineers and other

professions as the growth of the industrial revolution wouldn't have happened as rapidly as it did

with them, it would have been more common to take on more basic professions. As the

implication of standardized education wasn't at the level it is today. So the introduction of a

standardized one fits all education that was largely produced for the benefit of the Industrial

support system would lead to a drastic social and physiological change in the school systems.

Within this system children are groomed to be compliant with the competition of an artificially made

competitive environment. Causing those who feel they have a poor academic performance to have

feelings of inferiority, anxiety, fear in their studies, be more likely to be inflicted by peer pressure (Jiang)

In my experience of being taught through modern education from a young age (public schooling). Around

6 years old STEM was highly enforced among me and other classmates. Being forced to take computer
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classes that were never about using or learning about the computer itself but learning the practical use of a

computer in STEM and enforcing this systematic education. Many agree STEM by itself isn't harmful

which is true to some extent, however the enforcement of it among adolescents can be. The education

system itself is problematic as the effects of the Industrial Revolution on education isn't strictly limited to

STEM as STEM provided a stepping stone for the improvements of systematic education. The education

system creates an internalized rat race, forcing students to strive for excellence in an artificial

environment. However this isn't just affecting students, it affects the teachers who notice the cracks in the

education system. With teachers saying “What good is my job as a teacher if all students ever want to ask

me is “Is this for a grade” or “How many points is this worth?”. Some days I feel as though I should be

grading how well they are playing the “rat race” game, instead of whether they are truly learning.”

(Hopper) This leads to the question: what part of the education system is education? If education is the

“the transmission of knowledge, skills, and character traits” (Education) what part of the education system

accurately demonstrates this without some sort of string attached. The Industrial Revolution's effect on the

education system has been drastic and destructive for the student and the teacher, which shows how the

Industrial Revolution was non beneficial for society.

While people argue that the Industrial Revolution was largely beneficial for humans and society

with the technology that was brought by it. Ultimately the consequences brought by the Industrial

Revolution outweigh the gain produced by it. People claim that the Industrial Revolution had “ increased

production and efficiency, lower prices, more goods, improved wages, and migration from rural areas to

urban areas.” (Chen) This figure is the most common perception of the output of the Revolution, but is

largely incorrect. Sure the argument that there was increased production and efficiency is correct but a

large reason there was a demand for the resources domestically being produced was for the increase in

urban living surrounding the factories, the supply was creating its own demand. Improved wages would

be a minority, unless you had held a higher status within a company, a large amount of the workforce

consisted of child labor “By 1900, more than 1.75 million American children younger than 15 were

employed” (EXPLORING-19TH) Where most of these children made around 5-7 cents per hour (Child
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Labor) While other trades made around 37 cents per hour (About the USA) So the idea that there was

improved wages is a claim that while technically could be considered true, was an overstatement. These

misconceptions about the Industrial Revolution contribute to how many people are ignorant in being able

to identify negative lasting effects of the Industrial Revolution. These misconceptions attempt to add

positives to this societally and physiologically destroying system. As for example, as earlier stated the

pursuit in surrogate activities led by marketing or the damaging effects of the education system.

While people believe that the effects of the Industrial Revolution are only that of the

destruction of nature it truly is on a deeper level with the effects societally and psychologically.

The Industrial Revolution created the sociopolitical order that many people follow today that

limits one's freedoms and the creation of a systematically controlled education that mentally

affects adolescents. That is why the misconceptions surrounding the effects of the Industrial

Revolution are harmful to one's persons.

Works Cited
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“A Return to Self-Reliance.” Tom Peters,

tompeters.com/columns/a-return-to-self-reliance/#:~:text=In%201900%2C%2050%20per

cent%20of%20American%20workers%20were%20self%2Demployed. Accessed 5 Nov.

2023.

“About the USA.” Usembassy.de, 2020, usa.usembassy.de/etexts/his/e_prices1.htm.

Chen, James. “Industrial Revolution Definition: History, Pros, and Cons.” Investopedia, 25 May

2023, www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrial-revolution.asp#:~:text=The%20

Industrial%20Revolution%20 shifted%20 societies.

“Child Labor in the Early Twentieth Century | Encyclopedia.com.” Www.encyclopedia.com,

www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/child-labo

r-early-twentieth-century#:~:text=These%20young%20boys%20came%20to. Accessed 9

Nov. 2023.

EXPLORING 19TH-CENTURY CHILD LABOR in the UNITED STATES TEACHER VERSION.

www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis/activities/history/hh-14_teacher.pdf.

Hein, Sandy. “Dealing with an Over-Inflated Ego.” Www.blackswanltd.com, 23 May 2023,

www.blackswanltd.com/the-edge/dealing-with-an-over-inflated-ego#:~:text=In%20most

%20cases%2C%20ego%20is. Accessed 9 Nov. 2023.

Hopper, Steven. “Help End the ‘Rat Race’ of School.” Age of Awareness, 6 May 2019,

medium.com/age-of-awareness/help-end-the-rat-race-of-school-b4978caeb0b6.

Jiang, Mao, et al. “The Influence of Academic Pressure on Adolescents’ Problem Behavior:

Chain Mediating Effects of Self-Control, Parent–Child Conflict, and Subjective

Well-Being.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 13, no. 954330, Sept. 2022, p. 954330,

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.954330.
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Kaczynski, Theodore. Industrial Society and Its Future. 1995,

web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~rogaway/classes/188/materials/Industrial%20Society%20and%20Its

%20Future.pdf.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Education.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2019,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education.

H Argument Essay Rubric

Skill Not Yet Foundational Proficient Advanced

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Identifies a basic claim Appears in first Thesis establishes a

Thesis paragraph complex claim

Thesis establishes a Establishes

topic and a claim counter-argument in
claim

Topic sentences Topic sentences have Topic sentences have

Claims/Reasons contain basic claims clear and distinct clear and distinct
claims that relate to claims that relate to
the thesis the thesis and make
nuanced points that
consider alternate
perspectives or
counterarguments

Uses some brief Uses multiple pieces Uses a variety of

Evidence examples, or one of evidence (personal evidence (see
example, to support experience, anecdotes, previous column) that
each claim; may all be survey, research etc.) supports each claim;
personal experience to support each claim different types of
evidence in each body
paragraph

Use of reliable outside

sources

Brief explanation of Explains how Provides strong

Analysis how evidence evidence supports explanations of how
supports topic topic sentence/claim evidence supports
sentence of individual of individual topic sentence and the
paragraphs paragraphs and the thesis while also
thesis considering
counterarguments
Includes at least 2
concessions in body Seamlessly mentions
paragraphs concession, and offers
response/rebuttal

Counter- Makes some mention Structure Well-structured and

Argument of opposing argument counter-argument effective
which: counter-argument
Mentions the which:
opposing argument, Establishes an aspect
some mention of how of the opposing
opposing argument argument, clearly and
may be disproven logically disproves the
argument
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Some elements missing Heading is correctly No errors in MLA

MLA Format or some errors in MLA formatted format
format
Pages are numbered

In-text citations are

correctly formatted (if
sources are used)

Works Cited format:

hanging indent,
double-spaced,
alphabetized, starts on
a new page (if sources
are used)

Works Cited: each

source entry is in
correct MLA format (if
sources are used)
Shows evidence of Quotes are correctly Quotes are correctly
Conventions basic proofreading integrated most of the integrated
time (if sources are
used) Shows evidence of
careful proofreading
Follows essay
organization (claims in Includes fluid
topic sentence; transitions between
evidence; analysis; ideas
concluding sentences)
Eliminates wordiness
Shows evidence of
proofreading

Utilizes mostly simple Some varied sentence Consistently varied

Fluency sentence structures structures sentence structures

Some use of advanced Advanced use of

vocabulary vocabulary; including
use of active verbs