Consumerism is a modern syndrome but the form that fuels it is derived in part from Medieval fantasies, such as the Land of Cockaygne. Just look at Brueghel's painting (above). It's like something out of Eraserhead, with pigs and eggs running around with knives inserted into them.
Scratch a Puritan work ethic-er and you will find the passivity of Brueghel's figures.
The search for the spice islands that jump started commercial capitalism was based on the premise that the spice islands really existed: they had never been seen before they were “discovered.” It was very much like the space race, only with spice.
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