Classical Era Variations(Chapter 7)

Jose Betancourt

World History 1

Dr. Andrews

10/31/12

                                      Classical Era Variations: Africa and The                                                                                     Americas (500B.C.E.-1200 C.E).

            The chapter begins by talking with some basic truths about the governments of the past, especially in Mexico and how the Mayan people were exploded and not well taught of their own culture, religion and society. The Mayan people after tee conquest was not a culture to look up to. The conquistadors made sure to make the Spanish culture the ideal, and demonized the Mayans to the point, to where many Mayas were probably not happy to be who they were.

            Furthermore, another civilization this chapter talks bout is the Meroe civilization that was close to the Egyptian civilization and ‘fought’ them even though they were later over thought and beaten by neighboring tribes. The Nubian people were from Meroe. “Politically, the kingdom of Meroe was governed by an all-powerful and sacred monarch, apposition occasionally conferred on women”(185). And the dead were buried with “sacrificial victims”. Iron was also a very important tool for the Nubian peoples. The Nubian peoples were also the warrior type, “The wealth and military power of Meroe derived in part from extensive long distance trading connections, to the north via the Nile and to the east and west by means of camel servants”(186). This makes the life of the Nubians one of war and trade. If there was no war than the trade and weapons made could not be used and sold to other neighboring tribes. In class we learned that a lot of the civilizations like the Aegean’s or the Teotihuacán people that preceded the Mayas and the Greeks. The people that came before the great civilizations were usually not thought of. It is therefore important to understand peoples of the past as people with culture, art, religion and also civilizations. 

Eurasia Social Hierarchies:Chapter Six(6)

Jose Betancourt

World History

10/26/12

Dr. Andrews

                                                Eurasia Social Hierarchies:

                                                     500 B.C.E-500 C.E

        During this time civilizations were becoming more stable and the same civilizations, which were becoming more stable, were having strict rules and laws that were there to aid them in control of their surplus. One other interesting fact that was becoming a reality of the ancient times and the hierarchies were the idea of education. “Emperor Wu Di established an imperial academy where potential officials were trained as scholars and immersed in Chinese classical texts dealing with history, literature, art and mathematics, with an emphasis on Confucian teachings”(WOTW.156). This is simply the most interesting fact of the time in my own view of the reading. To want and to desire knowing about the past, understanding the present rules was probably a desire that rose in the minds of the ancients because people were not constantly working anymore. There was more time to think, to understand, and to study certain aspects of reality.

Although all may seem perfect and ideal, the world that people lived in from 500 BCE to 500 CE was also a world in which people suffered a lot due mostly to lack of knowledge regarding the making of laws and being able to change the laws because of ones status. The other reason that surely affected the people during the Eurasian empires and the inventions of the hierarchies were the natural catastrophes. “Towards the end of the second century C.E., wandering bands of peasants began to join together as floods along the yellow river and resulting epidemics compounded the misery of landlessness and poverty”(159). It is simply clear that during this time the reason to join a group and create families were because been alone would cause either death or hunger in the case of those who chose to live an individual life (not having support was probably not an option for those who lacked the basic resources).

Some other idea that prevailed during the Eurasian Social Hierarchies was the Caste system. Where people and humans were organized into hierarchies decided usually by the birth. In modern understanding, those ideas are atrocious. In the past the reasons of having those hierarchies were to control and to have few amounts of people on top of the hierarchy.  Sort of like a kingdom. In this case how much money or property parents left for their children divide the classes. Even though the caste system seems like some atrocious way of doing hierarchy, there were some reasons to have the caste system. One of the main reasons that it is very interesting of why the Indian hierarchies had a caste system is because the “Caste represented a means of accommodating the many migrating or invading peoples who entered the subcontinent”(164). The caste system in these terms was different for the Chinese. For the Chinese, “The Process of assimilation was quite different in china, however; incorporation into Chinese cavitations meant becoming Chinese ethnically, linguistically, and culturally”(164). This means that the caste system had reasons at least in the past. That does not mean that the caste system is justified. At least in the present there is no need for India or china to have a caste system, although some countries may still hold those ‘religious” beliefs, that honestly harm the psychological state of the women and children of the countries in which the caste system is practiced.            

Lastly, The Eurasian hierarchies of were also characterized by religious, philosophical, and political ideals that somehow shaped the society and culture of the times. 

The “Superior Man”

Jose Betancourt

World History

Dr. Andrews

10/11/12

                                                The “Superior Man”

            It is precisely the idea that man is above all and above many other created creatures that makes one wonder. The wonder that I talk about is where did that idea of been more or superior than other creatures come from.  In the reading about the “superior man” one sees another kind of idea of what a great man would do. The superior man in the writings about the superior man is a person who holds virtues and practices them above all. “The superior man in everything considers righteousness to be essential. He performs it according to the rules of propriety. He brings it forth in humility. He competes it with sincerity”(The Analects of Confucius. XV.17). A man who is superior exalts his righteousness, he looks to be virtues and rise above all that could be egotistic. “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions”(XIV.29). IT is clear that the west and east have different conceptions of what the superior man is or should be.

            One other truth about the east and their idea about the superior man enlightened me when I read a piece of Confucius work. The superior man according to Confucius is also that one who does not really want power or to get known for what he does. He rather work to improve his life just for that fact that it is virtuous to do good for ones own life. “The superior man is distressed by his ability. He is not distressed by men knowing of him”(XV.18).  IN this case one could clearly see that the virtuous man is simple that who tried to become good for the sake of been good, and becomes righteous because doing the right thing is the ultimate goal of ones life. Therefore the superior man is that who encompasses all those characteristics.

           

Eurasian Cultural Traditions (500 B.C.E.-500 C.E.

Jose Betancourt

Dr. Andrews

World History 1

10/09/12

                                    Eurasian Cultural Traditions (500 B.C.E.-500 C.E.

            China from the beginning has been a place of diverse ideas. China is one powerful civilization. China was one of the first civilizations. Reading the chapter about the Chinese empire has increased my knowledge on how great the Chinese civilization was and how it was a place of search. Te Chinese were always looking for order. Usually order of states and empires. One philosophical thought that enlightened my understanding of what kind of feeling was part of their world was the idea of ‘the mandate of heaven”. The Mandate of heaven was a way of trying to unite the states and let them understand morality from a more naturalistic point of view and very similar to the idea of humanism. The Chinese states had many quarrels. There was also a time of war and was. That times called the Warring times by the historians. That epoch took place from 403 to 221 BCE (128). The idea that order should happened probably made some rulers want to conquer other states and become better or try to conquer places that they desired to gain more power.

            Finally one philosophy of the Chinese states that made me understand how human they were the Daoism philosophy which was opposite of the Confucius ideas. The Daoism followers “encourage behavior that was spontaneous, individualistic, and natural”(131). They were not looking for order like the Confucians. The Daoism were looking for power in an egotistic way. Similar to modern day world. The governments of the world strive to become the ones with better ideals. They want to show the world that they are better individually and not working together. I would be able to conclude by saying that many of the egoistic ideas of Daoism are still at work in our modern society. 

Herodotus/Class Discussion

Jose Betancourt

World History 1

Dr. Andrews

10/05/12

                                                Herodotus/Class Discussion

            It is amazing and so interesting how much effort and honor Greeks of the past have given to society and the world. Their Hubris and humanism was certain and real in the History of Herodotus. While reading the passage I read, “Spartans were preparing to do or die manfully”(The History of Herodotus Reading). Greeks were people of pride, but people who were also very human. Humanism as discussed in class its not simply having some feelings or emotions about certain aspects of reality. Humanism is hard to explain, but Humanism is in simply terms explaining the world from a human-centric understanding. Humans are in essence the most important. Reality, culture, eating, drinking, relating etc, are acts of humans and one should concentrate all efforts to think of humans all the time are humanism ideals.  Lastly to outline the Greeks humanism as well, as discussed in class, here is an example, “I incline to think that Leonidas gave the order, because he perceived the allies to be out of heart and unwilling to encounter the danger to which his own mind was made up”(Herodotus Reading). The real and truth about the Greeks is that they had a heart while Persians did not (according to the historian Herodotus). 

Eurasian Empires (500 B.C.E.-500 C.E)

Jose Betancourt

World History 1

Dr. Andrews

10/04/12

                                  Eurasian Empires (500 B.C.E.-500 C.E)

            Empires, kingdoms, and states are usually highlighted with an understanding of people coming together with similar or different political ideas. One reality that made me see culture in a different way after reading the chapter was that people before the 20^th century have lived in empires (Ways of the World. A Brief Global History. Rovbert W. Strayer. 98). The living in empires “brought together people of. Different traditions and religions and… stimulated the exchange of ideas, cultures, and values”(98,99).  The fact that empires co-existed and lived near one another made it easier for many people to have similar thoughts and even maybe formulate similar political structures.

            Many empires of the past have made me see reality in a different way. Looking and reading about empires like the Chinese or Greek empire make me understand why in modern day we act the way we do.  One of the empires that startled me was the Greek empire. They are like the fathers of many modern day values and beliefs. For example Plato the author of the republic was Greek. Greeks are the ones who somehow came out with the idea of citizenship (103), “of free people running the affairs of the state, of equality for all citizens before the law”(103).  It is so interesting on how the Greeks dealt with modern day issues in the past. Greeks wanted to know if people should be able to govern others without been directly involved in the political realm (103).  As it is Greek culture has shaped politics and culture for many centuries in the past. In the same way Greek culture has shaped ideas (specially philosophical ideas of past and present).  Finally, one connection that I found about the Greeks connecting to pre modern slavery thinking is the idea of owning slaves. Although owning slaves was a reality for Greeks, it was not the same way that slaves were owned here in the Americas in the times of Columbus and slavery here in America. Slavery in the Greco-Roman culture was not a way of signaling people because of the color of their skin, but slaves were those who either owed money or lost battles (Religion and Technology Class Notes). Greeks (Spartans) “conquered people who lived in slave like conditions”(103). Modern day slavery was due to the fact that people were of different color. Therefore, my conclusion is that people in the passed seemed to be more civilized than our current world.