ss2 - introduction to civilization reviewer

8/6/2019 SS2 - Introduction to Civilization Reviewer

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INTRODUCTION TO

CIVILIZATION

Earth

Age: 4.55 billion years old

Total Area: 510.072 million sq

km (196.940 million sq mi)

Land area: 148.94 million

sq km (57.506 million sq mi)

Water area: 361.132

million sq km (139.434 million

sq mi)

Population:6,706,993,152

(2008 est.)

Growth rate: 1.188% (2008

est.)

Political divisions:

195 sovereign nations

61 dependent areas

6 disputed territories.

Major World Religions:

Christianity (33%, 2.1 billion)

Islam (20.1%, 1.3 billion)

Hinduism (13.3%, 851 million)

Buddhism (5.9%, 375 million)

Sikhism (0.4%, 25 million)

Judaism (0.2%, 15 million)

Four Elements of Civilization

1. Economic Provision2. Political Organization3. Moral Traditions

4.The Pursuit of Knowledge& The Arts

Three Major Shifts

1. Economics - Fromhunter-gathering to food-

producing

2. Politics - From bands tostates

3. Culture - Frommythology to religion

I. Economics

3 Divisions of the World

y Sinicy Islamicy Indic

Why the Shift?

1.Decline in Availability

of Wild Foods.

2. Increase in availability

of domesticable plants.

3. Development of

Technologies helpful to Food

Production.

4 Two-way link in rise of

population and development of

food production.

5. Denser food producing

societies outpaces their

surrounding hunter-gatherers.


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Advantages or Disadvantages?

1.More food means more

consumable calories.

2. With domesticated

animals came livestock.

3. Food production led to

a more sedentary lifestyle.

4. Sedentary Lifestyle

allows people to store a food

surplus.

5. Domesticated Animals

made trade and warfare

possible.

Four Historical Stages in

Economic Development:

y Pastoral/Nomadicy Agriculturaly Industrialy Services/Knowledge-

Based

II. Politics

IbnKhaldun - Considered to be

not just the father of

historiography,but of the social

sciences.

IbnKhalduns Theory of

Civilzation

1.Man is political. He

cannot do without social

organization.

2.The power of the

individual is insufficient for him

to obtain the food he needs.

3.Mans ability to think

allows him to prepare the

crafts needed to create

instruments such as tools and

weapons.

4.Cooperation is

necessary to bring all these

crafts together.

5.Royal authority is

needed to be a restraining

influence and keep men apart.

6.Restraining influence is

derived from prophecy or

religious law.

The Hammurabi Code Insights:

1.Setting the law in

stone shows the importance of

law in their society.

2.Hammurabi didnt have

to explain his laws;

3.However, he had to

justify his rule.

4.Justification was made

through the following:

a.Presenting his

character


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b.Presenting his

royal lineage

c.Presenting his

track record

d.Alluding to the

Gods

Managing the Political Shift:

1. Secure a Monopoly of

Force

2. Redistribute Wealth

3. Establish an

Ideology/Religion

III. Culture

What makes a Religion:

1. The Notion of

Transcendence and/or the

Numinous

2. Myths & Sacred Truths

3. Organized Worship or

Devotion

4. Social Norms &

Standards

5. A Community of

Believers

Classification of Religions:

1. By Number of

Godheads

monotheist,

dualist, polytheist, atheist,

non-theist, pantheist, etc.

2 By Complexity of

Literature and Worship

a.animistic, nature

worship

b.ancestor worship

c.anthropomorphic

religion

d.organized

religion

3. By Geo-cultural

Regions

a.Abrahamic:

Judaism, Christianity,

Islam

b.Dharmic:

Hinduism, Buddhism,

Jainism, Sikhism

c.Sinic:

Confucianism, Taoism

Religion by Complexity:

1. Animistic, NatureWorship

2. Ancestor Worship3. Anthromorphic Religion4. Organized Religion

Religion by Geo-cultural

Regions:

1. Abrahamic Religions


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y Similarities: Originated in

Southwest Asia

Traces their sacred

history to Abraham

Teachings can be

summarized as Love

God above all, and love

your neighbor as you

love yourself

y Differences Social history birthed

different traditions

Primary figures vary:

Jews (patriarchs),

Christians (Jesus Christ),

Muslims (Muhammad)

2. Dharmic Religionsy Similarities

Originated in South

Asia

Highly spiritual and

devotional

Shares common

teachings such as

dharma, karma and

ahimsa

y Differences Buddhism and Jainism

were reactions to

Hinduism

Hinduism subscribes to

the caste system

3. Sinic Religiony Similarities

Originated in East Asia

Non-theistic

Began not as religions

but as philosophical

schools

Philosophy answered

important questions on

statecraft

y Differences Confucianism and

Taoism vary in their

approaches to

government, the value of

knowledge, the emphasis

on ritual, and the

meaning of happiness

Intersection of Faith and

Society:

1.The Axial Age Thesis

Features of the age

include:

a.Internal and

external instability within

states caused a need for

spiritual refinement.

b.History becomes

open to having several

axial ages; Renaissance

is the second, and our

current age is the third.


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2. Religion and Politics

a.Religion is used

to justify the authority of

a ruler.

b.Religion replaces

the ties of kinship that

erode when a society

becomes too large.

c.Government

figures appeal to

religious authority for

popular support. In turn,

religions receive

sponsorship from the

state.

d.Religions without

state support tend to die

out.

3.Mythology and Religion

as Ancient Philosophy

4. Religion as a sponsor

of science and the Arts

Some Observations:

1.Religions emerged

during times of great social

imbalance, turmoil, and

confusion.

2.What kinship ties are

to smaller and simpler

societies, religion is to larger

and more complex ones.

3.Religion helps

legitimize the rule of an elite

class.

4.Government

sponsorship of religion has

allowed it to grow and prosper.

5.Religion inspired a lot

of innovation in science,

technology, and the arts. A lot

of the greatest works in human

history were devoted to

illustrate mankinds

understanding and mastery of

the divine.

5 Components of Civilization:

1. A system of

agriculture that leads to a

surplus and specialization of

labor.

2. A form of government

and social stratification.

3. Social Norms and

standards (Belief System)

4. A defining culture.

(Arts & Literature)

5. Science and

Technology to manage society.

Changes that Remain:

1. Environmental

Sustainability

2. Population Challenge


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3. Global Inequality

4. Shift of Global Power

5. Democratic Recession

6. Global Insecurities

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