Over the years I have gotten into trouble more than a few times for things I have written or said in public, but I suppose the chief cause of my notoriety is a speech I gave to the freshmen of Yale College suggesting that they would be wise to make the study of Western civilization the center of their pursuit of a liberal education. and the worldview of the Israelites through the Judeo-Christian writings (the Bible). When I was in China many years ago, I observed an art class. What is the idea of democracy? What most sets the Greeks apart is their view of the world. Chapter 3: The Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Thanks to global capitalism, social media and the internet, we are more interconnected and interdependent than at any other time in history. Five Reasons Why Western Civilization Is Good - PJ Media Membership is free. The west of the Germanic tribes that had toppled the Roman Empire was weak and divided. Our founders leveraged the insights from Plato and later Roman thinkers in order to establish timeless guiding principles for the United States (separation of powers, for example, between the three branches of the government helps guard against some of the issues Plato describes). Like the fate of previous civilizations, time will eventually destroy much of the visual culture that we are familiar with today. And in between we have, obviously, the middle. Whether it takes the form of the unbridled claims of Pico della Mirandola, of the Nietzschean assertion of the power of the superior individual to transform and shape his own nature, or of the modern totalitarian effort to change the nature of humanity by utopian social engineering, the temptation to arrogance offered by the ideas and worldly success of the modern West threatens its own great traditions and achievements. Egypt Is Upset by a Dutch Exhibit About Afrocentrism - The New York Times Petrarch (a writer who lived in the 1300s) described the early Medieval period as the "Dark Ages" because to him it seemed to be a period of declining human achievement, especially when he compared it to the Ancient Greeks and Romans. I pointed out the devastating effects of ethnic conflict and disunity around the world and the special problems and opportunities confronting the United States, a country that was never a nation in the sense of resting on common ancestry but one that depends on a set of beliefs and institutions deriving from Western traditions. Since it was important for Gods Word (the Bible) to be in the language of the common people, it was equally important for all people to be able to read it. In England the tradition of freedom and government bound by law was strong enough to produce effective resistance. Medieval society was described as being organized into clearly defined strata. It is an understanding that cannot be achieved without a serious examination of the Western experience. The Middle Ages were the period between the fall of Rome, which happened around 476 CE, and the Renaissance, which started around 1300 CE. At the University of Colorado Boulder, the study of Western civilization is thriving, across dozens of departments and programs. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Non-Western people who wish to share in the things that characterize modernity will need to study the ideas and history of Western civilization to achieve what they want, and Westerners who wish to preserve them must do the same. Closely related, and lying within the Fertile Crescent, is the region of Mesopotamia, which is the area between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in present-day Iraq. One of the modern definitions of an artist, in fact, is someone who is particularly insightful about their own cultural moment. It was at the heart of scholarship and learning for centuries. Privacy Legal & Trademarks Campus Map, Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization, about Alan S. Kahan: "Mind vs. Money: The War Between Intellectuals and Capitalism", about Panel discussion on bipartisan climate solutions, about Jonathan Anomaly: Conformity in the Cathedral: Causes and Consequences of Groupthink in American Universities, about Alberto Mingardi: "Vilfredo Pareto, the Moralist", about Gianna Englert: "Two French Liberals on Commerce and Citizenship: Benjamin Constant and Alexis de Tocqueville", Alan S. Kahan: "Mind vs. Money: The War Between Intellectuals and Capitalism", Panel discussion on bipartisan climate solutions, Jonathan Anomaly: Conformity in the Cathedral: Causes and Consequences of Groupthink in American Universities, Alberto Mingardi: "Vilfredo Pareto, the Moralist", Gianna Englert: "Two French Liberals on Commerce and Citizenship: Benjamin Constant and Alexis de Tocqueville", See more Benson Center-sponsored Western Civ events. Oligarchy the next form of government whereby the leaders are chosen from the elite class of the wealthy. Who created hospitals? Even though we teach Western civ, its distinctive qualities are not always clear. Defend your principles. Muslims in their lands eventually built their own hospitals, but the European Christians built hospitals all over the world, because of their religious belief that all people need medical attention no matter who they are. That program of education remained intact into the twentieth century, with the study of the classics remaining a hallmark of elite education until it began to be displaced by the more specialized disciplinary studies of the modern university system that was born near the end of the nineteenth century. This period includes the great early civilizations of the ancient Near East (think Babylonia), ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, the Etruscans, and the Romanseverything that comes after the invention of writing and before the fall of the Roman Empire. This is when our ancestors learned to farm and domesticate animals, allowing them to give up their nomadic ways, and settle down to build cities and civilizations. At the top was the king. Strong enough to interfere with the ambitions of emperors and kings, it never could impose its own domination. What culture actually removed institutional slavery? Our goal should be to be able to look at it today through the lens of history and try to discern how to speak into its future so as to avoid the pitfalls of the past. It does not seem to be understood, for instance, that the very idea of a liberal education is uniquely a product of the Western experience, as is the institution of the university in which it has developed. From Greek art and literature emerged the masterpieces of the Renaissance and beyond. Direct link to Andrea J Collins's post Is there a difference bet, Posted 9 years ago. Today, for reasons that elude many of us, hearers now take offense at these words and the studies they embody. O supreme generosity of God the Father, O highest and most felicity of man! His idea spread across Europe and was taken by the Puritans across the Atlantic to North America. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the history of Western civilization, a record of the development of human civilization beginning in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome, and generally spreading westwards. In that speech I focused on our needs as Americans. There is no real similarity between modern US structure and class strata and that of medieval life given the primary difference that movement between classes is possible and often occurs here - the poor or less-wealthy do move up in many cases and become part of the wealthy, while often some in the upper classes lose it all and find themselves among the rest of the working world. Second, much greater focus is given to the history of gender roles and to womens history. It inspired amazing art and music. The material on gender and womens history requires a shift in the overall approach of the textbook in that women were almost entirely excluded from traditional high-level political histories precisely because so few women were ever in positions of political authority until the recent past. Or do people just instinctively see that the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, and the statue of David are some of the greatest works of art ever? The idea that the human species was divided into biologically distinct races was not entirely invented in the nineteenth century, but it became the predominant outlook and acquired all the trappings of a science over the course of the 1800s. That process, while often frustrating to individuals caught up in it, does have the effect of creating a more efficient set of processes than can be achieved through arbitrary decision-making. The purpose of this introduction is to make explicit the background and the framework that informed the writing of the book, and the author chooses to release it as an Open Education Resource in the knowledge that many others will have the opportunity to modify it as they see fit. on the one hand and C.E.&B.C.E. Bureaucracy is, essentially, the substitution of rules in place of individual human decisions. Posted by Admin on May 5, 2014 10:28:29 AM By Doug Reynolds, Head of School The ideas and principles that underpin Western Civilization date back to the days of Ancient Greece. What isthe study of Western civilization? Wh, Posted 9 years ago. The scientific discoveries of the Renaissance were inspired by the same spirit of inquiry that Greek scientists and Roman engineers had cultivated. Anarchy Democracy descends into anarchy, when there is no order in society. They were analyzing the paintings of Picasso. Perhaps most importantly, Islamic kingdoms and empires were part of the networks of trade, scholarship, and exchange that linked together the entire greater Mediterranean region. Its holy writings are also closely aligned to Jewish and Christian values and thought. The beauty of Renaissance art is directly connected to its inspiration in Roman and Greek art. History of Western civilization - Wikipedia These ideas and institutions are the basis for modern liberal thinking about politics, the individual, and society, just as the confident view of science and technology as progressive forces improving the lot of humanity and increasing mans capacity to understand and control the universe has been the most powerful form taken by the Western elevation of reason. Hobbes and Locke applied a similar novelty and modernity to the sphere of politics, basing their understanding on the common passions of man for a comfortable self-preservation and discovering natural rights that belong to man either as part of nature or as the gift of a benevolent and reasonable god. who are some not-as-commonly-known renaissance artists and where can i learn about them? Here are the areas where Western Civilization has undeniably influenced the world for good: Do you like the idea of voting? Where do we get the ideas of tolerance, freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, or freedom of religion? Aristocracy Platos ideal form of government where a kingdom is ruled by a philosopher king who rules with wisdom for his people. All of those things (and thousands more) are the products of inventors whose culture came from Western Civilization. Another Florentine, Machiavelli, moved further in the same direction. But the show at the National . Thus, this textbook attempts to present a balanced account of major events that occurred in the West over approximately the last 10,000 years. Instead, it was the inevitable result of their inherent biological and cultural superiority. The evidence suggests, moreover, that a society cannot achieve the full benefits of Western science and technology without a commitment to reason and objectivity as essential to knowledge and to the political freedom that sustains it and helps it move forward. We must wonder whether the power of modern weapons will allow it and the world to survive at such a price. The music and art of Western Civilization are studied worldwide, not because it is imposed on anyone, but because hundreds of millions of people love and appreciate Bach, Mozart, Handel, and Beethoven. All Rights Reserved. In these areas, people invented the most crucial technology necessary for the development of civilization: agriculture. For injustice is most dangerous when it is armed, and man, armed by nature with good sense and virtue, may use them for entirely opposite ends. Chapter 5: Persia and the Greek Wars. Still, we cannot deny that there is a dark side to the Western experience. There is no basis for individual rights or for a critique of existing ideas and institutions. Indeed, it is a mark of ignorance, not enlightenment, to make claims of superiority for the culture of the West as if there is some singular excellence about the thread of ideas that gradually made its way out onto the narrow European peninsula that extends westward off the Asian continent. So we live in 2014 A.D. (or 2014 C.E., you can say both). could read and write. Why We Should Study the History of Western Civilization Serfs were laborers who were permanently bound to work the land owned by their lord. History of Western civilization 9 languages The School of Athens, a famous fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, with Plato and Aristotle as the central figures in the scene Western civilization traces its roots back to Europe and the Mediterranean. We just made a new video about a late Medieval artist, Pietro Cavallini who is not well known but points to the naturalism that is so important in later Renaissance art: Yes, both disciplines have principles of form. Rulers are an elite group of those who control the wealth and use it for military conquest and power. Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom, The Return to Amsterdam of the Second Expedition to the East Indies, 1599, oil on canvas (Rijksmuseum). 'Clash of Civilizations': Why Russia can't beat Ukraine - New York Post A brief history of Western culture (article) | Khan Academy Essay by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, Posted 10 years ago. Western civilization has produced much that is undoubtedly great, but also much that is undoubtedly not so great. London, Paris, and New York led the unprecedented population growth of cities during this period, as people moved from the countryside or emigrated to find a higher standard of living. Initiatives like the Hampton Institute provide a guide for countering the racialism of the 1619 Project and the Our politicians lack action informed by prudent reflection and a coherent vision of the well-ordered soul, says Daniel Inspiring college students to discover, embrace, and advance the principles and virtues that make America free and prosperous. These are ideas about law and justice that have not flourished outside the Western tradition. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. B.C.E. Boulder, CO 80309, University of Colorado Boulder Regents of the University of Colorado Modern means existing now. He is a self-defense instructor and a black belt in Okinawan Kempo with 20 years experience in martial arts. Page, Northwestern University, [3] Generally attributed to George Santayana, Topics: The civilization of the West, however, was not the result of some inevitable process through which other cultures will automatically pass. Herculean efforts have gone into reducing the number of semicolons throughout the text, to little avail. This textbook follows the contours of the basic Western Civilization narrative described above in terms of chronology and, to an extent, geography because it was written to be compatible with most Western Civilization courses as they exist today. But students who are immigrants or foreign are . Keep in mind that the author is trying to summarize all of western history in just a few thousand words. We are immersed in our own time and it can be difficult to see the world around us objectively. ("Before Christ"). Tragically, it was revived by western Europeans at the beginning of the Renaissance (around 1400) but fortunately, the same Europeans began to abolish it. It also abandons the pretense that the history of Western Civilization was generally progressive, with the conditions of life and understanding of the natural world of most people improving over time (as a matter of fact, they did not). Harvard government professor Eric Nelsonwrites in his book The Hebrew Republicthat the early Israelite nation as established in the Book of Joshua was also a republic and an inspiration for European political thinkers in the Enlightenment era. The entire history of most of humankind was not just irrelevant to the narrative of European or American history, it was irrelevant to the history of the modern world for everyone. The challenges presented by freedom and the predominance of reason cannot be ignored, nor can they be met by recourse to the experience of other cultures, where these characteristics have not been prominent. Is it possible we are seeing history repeating itself in the U.S. today as the middle class seems to be disappearing leaving a few with power and money and the vast majority of the population working for and indebted to the few at the top? . However, the Nazis and Soviet Communists were a total rejection of Western Civilization and its Judeo-Christian moral foundation. The Greek way of looking at things requires a change from the use of faith, poetry, and intuition to a reliance on reason. Astronomy: just as math is necessary for engineering, astronomy is necessary for a sophisticated calendar. But the value of studying the Western experience goes far beyond the needs of Americans. The influence of Western Civilization is global; defining American culture and North American culture among others. As independent defenders of the common safety and interest, they demanded a role in the most important political decisions; in this way, for the first time, political life came to be shared by a relatively large portion of the people, and participation in political life was highly valued. Europeans suddenly had access to an astonishing wealth of land and natural resources, wealth that they extracted in large part by enslaving millions of Native Americans and Africans. When the U.S. defeated Japan in World War II, it was General Douglas MacArthur who insisted that the new Japanese Constitution give women the right to vote. To me that seems an accurate description of the human condition that is meaningful not only for the Greeks and their heirs in the West but for all human beings. Direct link to Swami Prithvi's post Is architecture and music, Posted 9 years ago. The main difference between A.D.&B.C. Direct link to Steven Zucker's post Please have a look at the, Posted 9 years ago. The Renaissance was the very beginning of the early modern era but is so important that it got its own name and is, really, a separate era of its own. The political, philosophical, artistic, and scientific achievements of ancient Greek civilization formed a legacy with unparalleled influence on Western civilization. However, is there a great worldwide desire to study and play traditional Chinese instruments? April 2014. Our founders also read extensively from Cicero, Plutarch and more modern advocates of a republic such as Locke. Direct link to Steven Zucker's post We just made a new video , Posted 10 years ago. How do people decide upon and name an era? This period in history was called the Hellenistic Age. Islamic culture played an important role in preserving and translating ancient Greek texts at a time when much of the knowledge created during the ancient world was lost. Its important to remember that any historical period is a construction and a simplification. I contend, however, that Western Civilization has been, and still. The narrative in the introduction in this book follows its basic contours, without all of the qualifying remarks: it starts with Greece, goes through Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, then on to the growth in European power leading up to the recent past. Below are some of the many events we have helped to sponsor in recent years. ), and educated Romans spoke and read Greek so that they could read the works of the great Greek poets, playwrights, and philosophers. The history of humanity is recorded in our visual culture. True, the Roman Republic morphed over time into the dictatorial Roman Empire, but the idea of a republic lived on in the free states of the Venetian Republic, the Swiss Confederation, the Dutch Republic, and eventually our own republic. And how could one even begin to make comparative judgments? The Christian church might have stepped into the breach and imposed obedience and uniformity, but the church never gained enough power to control the state. Martin Gilens, Princeton University and Benjamin I. . The institutions and ideas, therefore, that provide for freedom and improvement in the material conditions of life can not take root and flourish without an understanding of how they came about and what challenges they have had to surmount. Trade empires emerged over the course of the seventeenth century, first and foremost those of the Dutch and English, which established the precedent that profit and territorial control were mutually reinforcing priorities for European states. The most ancient human civilizations arose in the Fertile Crescent, an area stretching from present-day Israel Palestine through southern Turkey and into Iraq. Plato describes in book VII of the Republic the five different stages of a regime, or form of government[1]: While its tempting to try and position the current situation of the US in one of these stages, it is most helpful to recognize the warning signs from each stage and consider how we can avoid those. Why Study Western Civilization? by Cheryl Swope - Memoria Press Given the vast breadth of history covered in its chapters, the bulk of the consideration is on high level political history, charting a chronological framework of major states, political events, and political changes. Why Study Western Civilization? This shift to the east culminated in the move of the capital of the empire from the city of Rome to the Greek town of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople by the empire who ordered the move: Constantine. The barriers to unity presented by European geography and limited technology made it hard for a would-be conqueror to create a vast empire, eliminating competitors and imposing his will over vast areas. While Western Civilization has been the birthplace of the best in human government, it has also seen the rise of some of the most barbaric regimes in history. The great thinkers and artists of the Renaissance claimed to be moving away from the ignorance and darkness of the Middle Ages which they also described as the dark ages and returning to the greatness of the Romans and Greeks. The first people from the Eastern Hemisphere since prehistory to travel to the Western Hemisphere (and remain an earlier Viking colony did not survive) were European explorers who, entirely by accident, discovered the Americas at the end of the fifteenth century CE. Some cultures are superior to others. The union of a universalist religion with a monarch such as the Roman emperor, who ruled a vast empire could, nevertheless, have put an end to any prospect of freedom, as in other civilizations, but Christianitys inheritance of the rational, disputatious Greek philosophy led to powerfully divisive quarrels about the nature of god and other theological questions, in the tradition of Greek philosophical debate. Email: BensonCenter@colorado.edu, Mailing Address: Benson Center for the Study ofWestern Civilization Man was seen as a solitary creature, not inherently a part of society, and his basic rights were seen to be absolute, for nothing must interfere with the right of each individual to defend his life, liberty, and property. Direct link to Steven Zucker's post Middle Ages and Medieval , Posted 10 years ago. And yet, this astonishing conclusion was born from a culture that unleashed the most horrific destruction (self-destruction) ever witnessed by the human species. The abandonment of such a study or its adulteration for current political purposes would be a terrible loss to all of humanity. Historians divide history into large and small units in order to make characteristics and changes clear to themselves and to students. The ancient Mesopotamians were the first people in the world to develop advanced mathematics in large part because they were also the most sophisticated engineers of the ancient world. Chapter 7: The Hellenistic Age. ), Roman Law, which is the ancestor of most forms of law still in use today in Europe, and the Roman form of government. Like all ideas, the concept of Western Civilization itself has a history, one that coalesced in college textbooks and curriculums for the first time in the United States in the 1920s. It emerged from a unique history in which chance and accident often played a vital part. The purpose of this approach is not to disparage the genuine breakthroughs, accomplishments, and forms of progress that did originate in the West. Technologies as diverse and important as the steam engine and antibiotics originated in the West. These conditions permitted the development of institutions and habits needed for freedom, even as they also made Europe vulnerable to conquest and extinction. Historically it was much safer and more comfortable for Jews in places like the predominantly Muslim Ottoman Empire than it was in most of Christian Europe. At the same time, the foundations of freedom have also come into question. Chapter 3: The Bronze Age and The Iron Age, Chapter 10: The Late Empire and Christianity, Chapter 4: Politics in the Renaissance Era, Chapter 5: European Exploration and Conquest, The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution, Chapter 3: Political Ideologies and Movements, Chapter 4: The Politics of the Nineteenth Century, Chapter 5: Culture, Science, and Pseudo-Science, Chapter 12: The Soviet Union and the Cold War.
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