Shamans and wizards (never heard this used to describe anyone in history but let’s assume it’s just any kind of supposed magic user) were people at the top tier of their societies in terms of political power. Not kings or chieftains, but above everyone else.
Programmers are just making a living selling their labor power like every other office drone in the world. We’re one of the most common lines of work out there.
If you want the mysticism angle, we are like those kids they used to catch “witches”.
> Shamans and wizards (never heard this used to describe anyone in history but let’s assume it’s just any kind of supposed magic user) were people at the top tier of their societies in terms of political power. Not kings or chieftains, but above everyone else.
I don't know where you came by such a notion; Shamans, "Wizards", witches, "wise women/men", are usually shunned from society such that they tend to live near the outskirts of towns or cities, nobody really wants to live close to them; and when "bad things happen" tend to be the first ones to get blamed for it; then they also are commonly used as scapegoats for whatever political, economic or religious effort some corrupt officials try to push.
That doesn't sound very societal top-tier to me.
We're definitely not witches or wizards, at most we are scholars or [specialized] craftsmen. "Knowledge workers" if you will. Not as unlikable as the wise folk that live towards the edge of town, and not as at risk of getting tied to a post and lit on fire because the bishop believes we commune with unclean spirits.
> and not as at risk of getting tied to a post and lit on fire because the bishop believes we commune with unclean spirits
We're on our way to get there, though, with that "can't solve social problems with technology" infectious meme, and the other one that makes the public blame programmers for socially-problematic tech, while ignoring or praising the business people who imagined, commissioned, and decided to deploy those technologies.
Are there any documented examples of societies where "magics", "shamans" or "wizards" were at the top of the hierarchy? I gotta say, I'm an avid reader of Ancient History and Anthropology and the closest I can think of is the Priest-Kings of Sumeria and your garden variety theocracy and the latter is much more of a priestly bureeacracy than anything else...
I'm sorry it's just a vague intuition from watching a lot of documentaries about the Celts and very light internet research.
But generally speaking Druids had an oral tradition of maintaining knowledge in Celtic society. They had inter-tribe gatherings and went through long and difficult training.
Specifically also law. So they had at least the power of judges and to some degree law makers.
Perhaps you can find out more with some of these keywords.
I think you don't know what you think you know. My mom is a shaman type. These types often live at the outskirts of society where no well-to-do person would like to be seen. Zero political power but enough utility to keep at an arm's distance -- further if possible while not needed.
Yeah, we are more like masons. We have useful skills that enable building impressive things, but at the end of the day we are building someone else's cathedral.
Shamans and wizards (never heard this used to describe anyone in history but let’s assume it’s just any kind of supposed magic user) were people at the top tier of their societies in terms of political power. Not kings or chieftains, but above everyone else.
Programmers are just making a living selling their labor power like every other office drone in the world. We’re one of the most common lines of work out there.
If you want the mysticism angle, we are like those kids they used to catch “witches”.