Power vs. Knowledge

One of my favorite scenes from Game of Thrones is a conversation between Lord Petyr of House Baelish a.k.a. Littlefinger & Queen Cersei of House Lannister-Baratheon. Here we see a clash between two individuals of different classes. Cersei represents the monarchy the top of the social order during the medieval period, while Littlefinger represents the capitalist merchant. In medieval societies, merchants were far below the monarch in social rank, below the aristocracy, the knights, and only slightly higher than the peasantry. And, while Littlefinger is nominally a member of the aristocracy with his own sigil & banner, his house lacks the foundation of centuries of generations which give the great houses a sense of necessity—the idea they are essential to the functioning of society which in turn guarantees their power. Lord Baelish has gained the status & power he has not from his house, but from the sale of flesh and his ability to manage money. (view more)