“And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts
And I looked, and behold a pale horse
And his name that sat on him was death, and hell followed with him.”
– Johnny Cash, from the lyrics to The Man Comes Around (2002), paraphrasing Rev. 6:8
In this article I will discuss the philosophy of melee weapons, defined as hand-held non-projectile firing weapons, in what has been called the “multigenerational scenario” of social or civilizational collapse, spanning a number of generations. [1] The article will first outline why it is highly likely that modern civilization is well on the road to the systemic breakdown that will lead to the multigenerational collapse scenario. The evidence from the collapse of previous societies and civilizations indicates that these are times of hyper-violence and large-scale death, as one aspect of a collapse is a die-off of significant portion of the population, if not by warfare, then from starvation. Facing such tempest, warrior men would want to arm up and face their fate, come what may, while the wimps of postmodernity will die, as sniffling cowards.
I will argue that during the collapse period, firearms with conventional smokeless powder will dominate the small arms battle scene, with a return to classic black powder weapons, and archery perhaps after a generation or so. But in the even longer term, as the bullets run out, and spare parts too, and become difficult to make in the post-apocalyptic ruins, melee weapons will have a greater significance than at present. Having said that by way of outline, let us then examine the concept of civilizational collapse, and after that get down to the sharp end of things.Continue reading“Dark Age 2.0: Melee Weapons – Part 1, by Dr. Joseph”