Clocks symbolized cosmic order and governed town life before industrial use

Evidence

In contrast to the power of the large force-multiplying machines of the early industries, the clock in the preindustrial era had only limited use in workplace applications and served instead as a symbol of cosmic order. Although rural communities continued to live in accord with day length, seasonal cycles, and work rhythms, by 1500 tower and cathedral clocks had begun to govern the civil life of most European towns, especially where commerce was flourishing, and most parishes had constructed church clocks by the late sixteenth century. — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature, 843

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The clock metaphor’s autonomy forced theological debate over God’s intervention — Carolyn Merchant, The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology,…, 851; Western linear time consciousness was acoustically enforced by church clock bells — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 199

Broader Connections

• Western linear time consciousness was acoustically enforced by church clock bells #corroborates (0.85) — Schafer, Murray R, The Soundscape- Our Sonic Environment…, 199