I recently saw a rather interesting take on the meaning of Western Civilization. It went something like this: Although we often speak of "Western Civilization" as if it were a single concept, there are really two different meanings to the term. They are as follows: (1) "Western Civilization" may mean the Judeo-Christian tradition that has been handed down to us. (2) "Western Civilization" may also refer to the post-Enlightenment era. (The Enlightenment, of course, featured such philosophers as Descartes; Voltaire; Rousseau; Hagel; Hobbes; Kant; and Mill--just to name a few.) Comments?
It seems that western culture investigates and is open to the rest of the world more so then the rest of the world is to it or anyone else for that matter. Granted there have been conflicts for rule and influence but philosophically, political philosophy, or even religiously the west is much more open. That is a distinction of the west. And many in the west don’t understand why the rest of the world isn’t the same. It could go back to Rome and its concurring of lands nations and idols. They would accept the worship of many idols being open if you will to many beliefs and religions. Even the catholic church fell into a similar philosophy when they were clearing out all other religions within the empire (they were the church of the state in those days). If you look carefully at some of the theology they permit the teaching of, it sounds like they converted the pagan religions and not the people. So the acceptance of outside influences and the like is western culture.
Western civilization goes back way longer than that. It's a long journey going all the way back to the Ancient Phoenicians when our Alphabet started to form. LOL I'm reminded of the show the Big Bang Theory and its segment on Ancient Greece. It's a warm summer evening in Ancient Greece...
Really Western Civilization is all about culture and it's composed of bits and pieces that were picked up from several ancient cultures. Sure you can talk about Christianity which is the major religious component for most of our history. You can talk about Rome and it's military conquests, Or Ancient Greece and it's democracy and philosophy. But the bread and butter of our civilization, everything from the language, to Christianity, to science, and enlightenment, It is all bits and pieces taken from just about everywhere.
I'm not sure what you mean by that. It seems clear to me that Western Civilization's roots from Athens to Rome to Jerusalem.
Christianism played a huge role in the way we are thinking. Western civilization have for me two ancient roots : christianism and the greek-roman civilization. We should not understimate the major influence roman and greek had on us. Even in christian countries where their is almost no more christian, christianism influenced the way of thinking, for instance, secularism have roots into christianism, as well the scorn of the body for a un material soul.
though one could say that, one could also say that judeo influences go back as far as Babylon since one after another empire conquered the previous they absorb the peoples and their ways and thinking automatically until Rome became the prevailing empire. the roman population took to the Gospel message especially on the eastern side of the empire that at that time Greek was the standard language. it seems interesting that it grew to the point that an aspiring to be emperor general cut a deal with the Christian population and set his capital in what is now Constantinople rather then Rome. but those tribes and populations in what is now Russia and china and the rest of that portion of that continent are still today resistant to accept Judeo-Christian beliefs and ways. the middle east is another beast of its own kind with animosities that go back to Ishmael, it is said in scripture something to the effect that the sons of Ishmael would be at each others throats constantly, and we can see now this is true. I think one of the main reasons Muhammad's religion went so well there is one would have justification to unify the middle east by force if necessary, and even with such beliefs they still go at each other. it is easy to unite a constantly warring people with a common enemy. tag we're it. hence the rejection of things like Judeo-Christian and Jews in general and anything non-Islam.
Well, I suppose that it could be argued (quite correctly) that it originated in Asia. But it is, nonetheless, a part of the Western tradition that has developed over the centuries.
Well I do not see what Judaism had to do with Western Civilization. They did banking and jewelry, but not much else out of the ordinary like everybody else. The most prominent characteristic of Western Civilization was Christianity. And you can bet Judaism and Jews had nothing to do with that. If anything they kept quiet about their Judaism after all attempts to stifle and exterminate Christianity in the first 3 centuries failed. And Western Civilization was quite developed before the Age Of Revolution in 1776. So the democratic revolution was subsequent to the development of Western Civilization. The democratic revolution was more the result of the Protestant Reformation than anything else.
The Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet but that is the only influence that that Phoenicians had. By then the Romans had pretty much exterminated the Phoenicians and their cousins the Carthaginians. The Greeks gave birth to Western Civilization.
Western culture came from the Christian churches -- Catholic and Protestant -- although mostly Protestant.
Jerusalem had nothing to do with it. Rome and Athens did. But not Jerusalem. The Romans had already wiped Jerusalem out and given it back to the Palestinians.
Greece originated in Greece. Rome originated in Rome and was influenced by Greece. Christianity had spread to Greece and Rome and from there to Europe. The Jews of Judea chased the Christians out of Asia on pain of death. Read Eusebius.
Technically, judaïsm, christianism and islam are three part of a bigger, one, unique religion because those three religions share common myth : Abraham, Noah, Adam & Eve, muslims believe even partly in Jesus. However, their is huge differences : Christianism is secular, iconophile (meaning their is no hostility toward representations) and don't ask for physical mark or particulary way of eating. Islam and Judaism are iconoclaste (meaning they're globally hostile toward representation), aren't seculare and ask for physical mark and particulary way of eating. Those differences create very different kind of society.
Do you, then, altogether reject the modifier, "Judeo-Christian"? I never spoke of "the Age of Revolution in 1776." Rather, I spoke of the Age of Enlightenment (as regarding which, there was admittedly some overlap; but they are hardly interchangeable).
Eusebius, of course, was one of the Church Fathers (along with Origin; Tertullian; et al). But exactly what does any of this have to do with my post?
Judeo-Christian explains the religion. But the Judeo part has nothing to do with Europe. When you talk about Europe you can drop the Judeo. Conversion to Christianity is what civilized Europe, especially the Vikings. Then the Protestant Reformation freed the European mind to think.
Eusebius was a historian and a bishop. He did not "found" anything. St. Peter in Rome, St. Paul in Greece, and Constantine the Great (and his parents) were the founders of Christianity in the Roman Empire. Christianity then spread later to Europe.
