1. How did mythical (or mythopoeic) thought shape the first civilizations? The first civilizations used mythical thought to resolve questions that are now answered using science (27). Mythmaking was humanity’s first way of thinking; it was the earliest attempt to explain the beginnings of the universe and human history, and to make nature’s mysteries and life’s uncertainties comprehensible (27). Mythical thought gave Near Eastern peoples a framework with which to pattern their experience into a meaningful order, justify their rules of conduct, and help them to overcome the uncertainty of existence (27). 2. How did Hebrew thought shape Western civilization? The Hebrews’ revolutionary view of God shaped Western civilization. The Hebrews regarded their God, Yahweh, as fully sovereign, which was vastly different from the Near Eastern religion’s gods (37). Furthermore, the Hebrews separated God from nature, and saw rivers, mountains, storms, and stars as His creations rather than entities in themselves; the removal of the gods from nature was a prerequisite for scientific thought (38). 3. What differences can you discern between Platonic and Aristotelian thought? A difference between Plato and Aristotle were their opinions on the theory of ideas. Plato suggested the existence of a higher world of reality, independent of the world of things that we experience every day; this higher reality is the realm of Forms – unchanging, eternal, absolute, and universal standards of beauty, goodness, justice, and truth (81). To know these Forms is to grasp ultimate truth, and truth resides in this world of Forms and not in the world made known through the senses (81). However, Aristotle renewed confidence in sense perception, and he appreciated the world of phenomena, of concrete things (84). 4. What are the basic tenets of St. Augustine’s Christian philosophy? Augustine believed that the ideal state existed only in heaven; therefore, the collapse of Rome did not diminish the greatness of Christianity because the true Christian was a citizen of a heavenly city that could not be pillaged and would endure forever (188). Augustine’s belief did not focus on the passing of cities and empires, but the individual’s spiritual
Civilization: The West and the Rest, presented by Niall Ferguson, is a documentary in which Ferguson reveals what he calls the six killer applications which has helped Western civilization dominate over everyone else. These six applications are competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work. Ferguson asks many questions over the course of the series as well as provides examples as to how Western civilization has surpassed other nations and empires. Ferguson’s main question in each episode is, “If we lose our monopoly over apps like these, could Western civilization be consigned to history.” This paper will analyze Ferguson’s questions and the examples he provides for the killer applications of competition, science, property, medicine, consumerism, and work, as well as his conclusions as to why the West has risen to the top, how the rest are passing up the West, as well as his conclusions to if the West can remain above the rest.
After the fall of Rome and the pagan attacks that blamed Christians for it, St. Augustine set out to meet the challenge. In 413 he started the City of God which was completed in 426, twenty-two books later. In his books, St. Augustine divides the human race into two parts, “the one consisting of those who live according to man, the other of those who live according to God. And these we also mystically call the two cities, or the two communities of men, of which the one is predestined to reign eternally with God, and the other to suffer eternal punishment with the devil.”(E &
Saint Augustine, The City of God,tr. J.W. Leedom; reprinted in C. Warren Hollister et al., eds,
The past centuries saw a clear distinction between the Western civilization and the non-western culture. The western civilization composed of Greece, Romans, Byzantine Empire, and the European while the non-western civilizations included East Asia, Egypt, Persian Empire, Sassanid Empire, African Societies and Kingdoms, Incas, Mayans, Aztecs, and Mongols. For a long period, the western civilizations prevailed around the world. They influenced, lead and controlled others in various sectors such as medicine, clothing, business orientations, religion, and government. In this paper, I will be affirming my conviction that the western civilizations had unique attributes that made them more powerful than the non-western civilizations. I will also show how the western cultures were influenced by the spread of Christianity, and how the western cultures have maintained their great influence and power over the other societies even in the modern era.
In Western Civilization there have been a few incredible people and events that would have an absolutely unbelievable effect on their current events and the future. Some of these people and events include Martin Luther and the Reformation, Elizabeth I, the American Revolution, Henry the VIII and Napoleon Bonaparte. They would create a lasting effect in not only their countries but also the world as well.
For this reason, Pope Loe IX led other church officials in implementing reform efforts that would see ensure that the church could get back its lost power. For this reason, Pope Loe IX gave orders to the Roman Catholic clergy to dismiss the church officials that had taken part in selling church offices, and to renounce their wives (McKay et al., 2014). The orders were essential for ensuring that the church could control the corruption that was becoming rampant in the church. The measures were also essential for sending a message to the secular leaders, which was presumably an indication that they were working on regaining their lost power. After the death of Pope Leo, Gregory VII, Leo’s successor, continued with the reform work based on his ideological foundation (McKay et al., 2014). One of the reforms was the expelling of secular influence within church and the papal institution, which led to the expansion of the papal powers. such reforms solved the problems that the church was facing, which means that they were appropriate for the realization of the predetermined
Evolutions of civilizations can occur because of differences in people’s religion, culture, or geographic setting of the settlement. The relationship between the world of the gods and that of men was perceived differently by the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrew ancient civilizations. This is demonstrated by the way each group viewed the process of creation. They had different thoughts on the creation of their gods, the universe and of man. This essay will discuss the relationship between humans and their gods in three different ancient civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew.
The term “myth” is often associated with stories that are considered to be false. In the context of religion, however, the term, “myth”, describes any of the tales that are accepted by a given religion, and these stories are usually treated as historical fact by followers. The Abrahamic religions would likely agree that most of the myths in their sacred texts are indeed historical facts. There are parallels between the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that should be recognised. The similarities are greatly apparent in the myths that are described within their holy books: the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran, respectively. This paper will compare the myths of creation; the great flood; the prophets: Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad; and the afterlife as they are viewed by the three religions to show that their individual myths have more similarities than differences.
“The condition that exists when people have developed effective ways of organizing a society and care about art, science, etc.” This is the definition of civilization. So when I explain the different characteristics of the western civilizations, which is mainly made up of all the countries in the world that have roots that go way back to ancient Greece. Although western societies have a lot of similarities as todays and other civilizations, it’s still tend to be known to as pretty rare, mainly in the way “western” think and believe. Western people thinking investigates something that is thought to be true and questions it, they were the type of humans to heavily test everyone’s mind. They would challenge one another to think outside of what
Through out the history of Western Civilization we have seen many important moments occur. From the Neolithic revolution, to humans conquering and spreading across the globe, there are many moments that have shaped its history and the present day. In this essay I will mention 5 of the most important moments/changes in Western Civilization and the reasons for why they are so important to societies in the western world and beyond.
Aristotle and Plato were both great thinkers but their views on realty were different. Plato viewed realty as taking place in the mind but Aristotle viewed realty is tangible. Even though Aristotle termed reality as concrete, he stated that reality does not make sense or exist until the mind process it. Therefore truth is dependent upon a person’s mind and external factors.
Niall Ferguson’s thesis in his book “Civilization: The West and the Rest,” is to explain and prove why western civilization has exceeded the accomplishments of other nations throughout history up until present day. He attributes this world dominance to six “killer applications” the west had adopted and advanced beyond the means of any other civilizations. These applications were: competition, science, private property, medicine, consumption, and work.
Western Civilization from 1589 to 1914 had many specific changes that contributed to the structure of the western world before World War I. In the absolutism state sovereignty is embodied in the person of the ruler. Kings were absolute kings and were resposible to no none except god. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries absolute rulers had to respect the fundamental laws of their land. They had to control competing jurisdictions, institutions or groups that were interested in their territory. They regulated religious sects. France of Louis was the classic model of absolutism. Louis XIV, " the sun king," was a devoted Catholic who believed that god had estalblished kings as rulers on the earth. The French language and culture became
At this point in his life, Augustine is recognized for doing many things for the Church as a priest, author, and defender of faith. As an author he wrote Confessions, his spiritual autobiography, and City of God, his great work describing the Christian philosophy throughout history. In this magnificent work,
Western Civilization has had a tremendous influence on many different cultures worldwide. From the Hispanic cultures in South and Central America, to the Caribbean islands, and also to the various exotic African countries, and even to the distinguished cultures that reside in the continent of Asia. In many ways than one, these cultures have been molded to be as westernized as they could possibly be without losing their traditional customs indefinitely. They’re religion, fashion sense, and family structures have all been altered in some form so that it could resemble the western nation’s patriarch. Countries in North America and Europe have for centuries traveled to different continents in the world and colonized many nations, as a result of that, many of the customs and traditions of those people have been shaped to be a bit more westernized.