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> In those societies, slaves could and were regularly beaten, raped, or killed with impunity What is the basis for that? I read it as the imagination of the co
by wolverine876 3y ago
> In those societies, slaves could and were regularly beaten, raped, or killed with impunity
What is the basis for that? I read it as the imagination of the contemporary reactionary movement - the idea that a sort of sociopathology is a normal human condition, and compassion about others and a belief in their rights is a fake contrivance (of liberalism). But the evidence points strongly the other way. Still, there is plenty I don't know about the ancient Greek and Roman literature.
- OfSanguineFire 3y agoSee, for example, Kyle Harper’s Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275–425, Cambridge University Press, 2011. In spite of the title, it contains much detail on Roman slavery in previous eras, and is one of the most accessible (to an educated readership) presentations of the phenomenon.
- wolverine876 3y agoThank you! A commenter who actually knows a bit of what they are saying! I will take a look at it. From my knowledge of other such situations, enslaved people have many fewer rights, customary and legal, but not none. Humans will still be sickened by seeing other humans do bad things; there are limits. Also, they want the enslaved people to be pacified and cooperative, not murderous and angry.