Municipal Darwinism
Encyclopedia
Municipal Darwinism is a fictional concept featured in Philip Reeve
's Mortal Engines Quartet. It refers to the practice in the post apocalyptic world described in the series, in which large mobile metropolitan areas, known as Traction Cities, consume one another by gathering other, smaller cities in large hydraulic "jaws". The larger metropolises consume smaller cities, which consume towns, which consume villages, hamlets and stationary settlements.
Captured cities are dragged inside the body of the predator city, where they are then melted for fuel
or salvaged for parts. Their citizens either resettle in the city they were just eaten by, or - in less ethical cities - are enslaved, often to work in the predator city's engines. Technology and small goods of value are taken for museums and later usage as well.
Thatcher is the god of Unlimited Municipal Darwinism and is worshipped by the Traktionstadt Alliance particularly.
of Survival of the Fittest
.
The parody is not limited to the predator/prey relationship; the positions of scavenger and parasites are also filled. During Mortal Engines
, the main characters find an empty and abandoned city being slowly stripped of goods and scrap metal by scavenger crews from small towns and airships, reminiscent of a decaying carcass
being decomposed by bacteria
and insects. In Predator's Gold
, airships are seen hovering around a large city and sifting through its exhaust smoke to recover minerals, similar to flies
hovering around a larger animal. Later in the book, a small aquatic vessel secretly attaches itself to the underside of Anchorage like a barnacle
or limpet
, and the crew sneak into the city at night to pilfer valuables. Also mentioned is that some smaller towns rely on natural resouses such as mineral deposits and forests, similar to a carnivore/herbivore split between towns
. It is considered dirty and wrong to set foot on bare earth, and "unnatural" for cities to be stationary.
Municipal Darwinism is opposed by such groups as the Anti-Traction League
, which sees Traction Cities as obstacles that hinder the recovery of the Earth to its natural state, and view their citizens as barbaric. Likewise, the citizens of Traction Cities also view Anti-Tractionists as barbaric, often using the derogatory term "mossie" as in a rolling stone gathers no moss
, or in this case a moving town gathers no "moss" and a still (static) one does, to describe them.
.
Events come to a head in the final two books in the series, in which the Traction Cities and Anti-Tractionists go to war. The war ends in a stalemate, but many tractionists realise that their way of living cannot go on forever, and some become static settlements. The Age of Traction, where cities plagued across the Earth, was at an end. Great cities such as Manchester, London, Panzerstadt Winterthur and many others had been destroyed, and the deaths were so many the inhabitants of the last traction settlements stopped and became static.
The epilogue of A Darkling Plain
, the last book in the series, takes place centuries into the future. It is implied that the Traction Cities have long-since become static, and were partially disassembled to create some of the infrastructure, at least in the static settlement shown.
Philip Reeve
Philip Reeve is a British author and illustrator. He presently lives on Dartmoor with his wife Sarah and their son Samuel.-Biography:...
's Mortal Engines Quartet. It refers to the practice in the post apocalyptic world described in the series, in which large mobile metropolitan areas, known as Traction Cities, consume one another by gathering other, smaller cities in large hydraulic "jaws". The larger metropolises consume smaller cities, which consume towns, which consume villages, hamlets and stationary settlements.
Captured cities are dragged inside the body of the predator city, where they are then melted for fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
or salvaged for parts. Their citizens either resettle in the city they were just eaten by, or - in less ethical cities - are enslaved, often to work in the predator city's engines. Technology and small goods of value are taken for museums and later usage as well.
Explanation
Although the planet eventually calmed down, Traction Cities have been moving for so long the people have forgotten why they moved in the first place, and it is now considered normal. At the beginning of the series, Municipal Darwinism has been in practice for approximately a thousand years.Thatcher is the god of Unlimited Municipal Darwinism and is worshipped by the Traktionstadt Alliance particularly.
Satire
Municipal Darwinism may be considered a satireSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of Survival of the Fittest
Survival of the fittest
"Survival of the fittest" is a phrase originating in evolutionary theory, as an alternative description of Natural selection. The phrase is today commonly used in contexts that are incompatible with the original meaning as intended by its first two proponents: British polymath philosopher Herbert...
.
The parody is not limited to the predator/prey relationship; the positions of scavenger and parasites are also filled. During Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines
Mortal Engines is the first of four novels in Philip Reeve's quartet of the same name, which is also known as the Hungry City Chronicles in the United States...
, the main characters find an empty and abandoned city being slowly stripped of goods and scrap metal by scavenger crews from small towns and airships, reminiscent of a decaying carcass
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
being decomposed by bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
and insects. In Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold
Predator's Gold is the second of four novels in Philip Reeve's series for young adults, the Mortal Engines Quartet.-Setting:Predator's Gold is set two years after Mortal Engines...
, airships are seen hovering around a large city and sifting through its exhaust smoke to recover minerals, similar to flies
Fließ
Fließ is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located5 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. It has 9 hamlets and was already populated at the roman age; the village itself was founded around the 6th century. After a conflagration in 1933 Fließ was restored more...
hovering around a larger animal. Later in the book, a small aquatic vessel secretly attaches itself to the underside of Anchorage like a barnacle
Barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...
or limpet
Limpet
Limpet is a common name for a number of different kinds of saltwater and freshwater snails ; it is applied to those snails that have a simple shell which is more or less conical in shape, and either is not spirally coiled, or appears not to be coiled in the adult snails.The name limpet is most...
, and the crew sneak into the city at night to pilfer valuables. Also mentioned is that some smaller towns rely on natural resouses such as mineral deposits and forests, similar to a carnivore/herbivore split between towns
Social Structure
Municipal Darwinism is the centre of life for the people of Traction Cities, bordering on a religionReligion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
. It is considered dirty and wrong to set foot on bare earth, and "unnatural" for cities to be stationary.
Municipal Darwinism is opposed by such groups as the Anti-Traction League
Anti-Traction League
In Philip Reeve's book-series Mortal Engines Quartet, the Anti-Traction League is an organization opposed to the prevalence of Traction Cities and Municipal Darwinism. Its symbol is that of a broken wheel.-Geography:...
, which sees Traction Cities as obstacles that hinder the recovery of the Earth to its natural state, and view their citizens as barbaric. Likewise, the citizens of Traction Cities also view Anti-Tractionists as barbaric, often using the derogatory term "mossie" as in a rolling stone gathers no moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A rolling stone gathers no moss is an old proverb, credited to Publius Syrus, who in his Sententiae states, People who are always moving, with no roots in one place, avoid responsibilities and cares. As such, the proverb is often interpreted as referring to figurative nomads who avoid taking on...
, or in this case a moving town gathers no "moss" and a still (static) one does, to describe them.
Future
From the beginning of the series, it is made clear that the amount of "prey" available has been dwindling in recent years, it is suggested that Municipal Darwinism is not sustainable livingSustainable living
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resources and his/her own resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprint by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet...
.
Events come to a head in the final two books in the series, in which the Traction Cities and Anti-Tractionists go to war. The war ends in a stalemate, but many tractionists realise that their way of living cannot go on forever, and some become static settlements. The Age of Traction, where cities plagued across the Earth, was at an end. Great cities such as Manchester, London, Panzerstadt Winterthur and many others had been destroyed, and the deaths were so many the inhabitants of the last traction settlements stopped and became static.
The epilogue of A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain
A Darkling Plain is the fourth and final novel in the Mortal Engines Quartet series written by author Philip Reeve.The novel won the 2006 Guardian Award and the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Fiction.-Setting:...
, the last book in the series, takes place centuries into the future. It is implied that the Traction Cities have long-since become static, and were partially disassembled to create some of the infrastructure, at least in the static settlement shown.