WORLD CIVILIZATIONS
We have no claws or fangs. We are not tough skinned, or armored. Naked and alone in the wild, we are lunch for any predator. We cannot naturally travel fast, swim far, or fly. We cannot eat most wild foods. We cannot be away from water for long. We are not well endowed, yet (for good or ill) we dominate the planet. We have a mind, and we have each other. Those are our major tools. The human mind is unique among the animals. We communicate abstractly and make culture. We appear to be the only creatures who associate, discriminate, reflect and project in such complex ways. What makes us human is the ability to note similarities (associate like things), to consider differences (discriminate, separate, & isolate), to rationalize a cause (reflect on why), and to predict an outcome of our actions (to project plans into the future). Our minds and the ability to share them with others is why we are human beings. Humans are the thinking, planning, and sharing animals. Human beings, being human, create culture and society to offset the physical deficits. Now, culture is our main tool for dealing with the natural environment. It was not always so. The evolution of cultures that brought us collectively to the present is the history of world civilizations.
World civilization is not Western civilization. Western Civilization courses are (usually) concerned with the foundations of European and American social and cultural institutions. On the other hand, World Civilization encompasses a broader human experience. Where western civ. is concerned with the linear progress of (most often) "great men" through time, World Civilization instead focuses on a comparative study of peoples undergoing change. Western Civilization assumes progress. World Civilization notes change, and progress is not to be assumed. The automobile is evidence of progress in the mind of western civilization. In the world approach, the auto must be compared to other methods of travel and assessed for both positive and negative effects on other aspects of the human condition. What do cars do to us? We are not so much obsessed with what happened, but why it happened the way it did. We are concerned with why we are who we are.
What exactly is "Civilization?" It is not well defined. That is also a challenge. We have no clear line that says this is and this is not civilized, despite any current trend. The best we can do is set conditions that all civilizations seem to share. Civilization is complex social organization seeking to provide equilibrium for the essentials of human life in view of environmental change. Human beings have certain universal needs. Food availability, among other things, is not assured by nature. To make sure that there is a steady supply of essential conditions and items, we organize. Labor is divided, specialized, and institutionalized. We become Civilized.
Just as universal conditions of human need allows a working definition of civilization, the environment sets the conditions of civilization. This is called environmental or geographic determinism. It should really be read plural - determinisms - because it is always more complex than we seem to make it. Regardless of what civilization, or of where in time we look, all humanity is dependant on the geography and natural environment. All civilizations are essentially agricultural/pastoral (aquatic included) - relying for food on plants and animals. Therefore the way that people organize into civilizations is always reflective at the core of geography and environmental specifics. But, that is not all that determines the character of a civilization. At a certain point in human social organization, we become a problem to ourselves. We pollute, we oppress, wealth and power become concentrated in the hands of a few, we make war. These other kinds of determinisms are social and cultural. They are the result of institutional behavior and beliefs. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. This has sparked global controversy about human rights. Race, gender, class, political economy, and human rights become prime factors in evaluating the health of a (civilized) social system.
What is politics? What is economy? what is production, or consumption, or labor? What makes a society stable? What is culture? Why have civilizations ended? These are things that are matters of cultural evolution. In other words, they are things that change. And, change is the only constant. Who we were is not who we are, or who we may yet become. But, there is no tree without roots. I mean that who we are and what we may become are dependant on where we came from, and who we were. Confused yet? Don't be. It just means that human kind has an important past. Important if we intend to choose the direction of our future.
Because the search for answers to why we are who we are may mean preventing our extinction, the subject of how we look at ourselves is critically important. Everything is important. Everything we examine must be clearly defined, and compared. Comparison is key. This means you will often be looking around in the book for one item to compare with another from some distant part of the text. Don't let this bother you. There simply is no book that can be organized to do what we must - define and compare aspects of human civilization. Use the table of contents, and the index to start.
Really, every entry in your book should be scrutinized. Why, for instance, do we have a "first civilization" if there is no clear date or definition of what civilization is? Why does the book treat sedentary (settled city-based) civilizations as superior to semi-nomadic ones? Does the book really give equal time to each civilization? Does it really reflect a balance of gender? Are poorer people - those who did (do) the most work - adequately addressed? What may have been consciously or unconsciously in the minds of the writers? In other words, we must always question our own civilization. That is what this course is about. Ultimately, we compare other civilizations (and the term itself) in light of who we assume we are.
I am just a guide.
I need you to present me with those comparisons.
World civilization is not Western civilization. Western Civilization courses are (usually) concerned with the foundations of European and American social and cultural institutions. On the other hand, World Civilization encompasses a broader human experience. Where western civ. is concerned with the linear progress of (most often) "great men" through time, World Civilization instead focuses on a comparative study of peoples undergoing change. Western Civilization assumes progress. World Civilization notes change, and progress is not to be assumed. The automobile is evidence of progress in the mind of western civilization. In the world approach, the auto must be compared to other methods of travel and assessed for both positive and negative effects on other aspects of the human condition. What do cars do to us? We are not so much obsessed with what happened, but why it happened the way it did. We are concerned with why we are who we are.
What exactly is "Civilization?" It is not well defined. That is also a challenge. We have no clear line that says this is and this is not civilized, despite any current trend. The best we can do is set conditions that all civilizations seem to share. Civilization is complex social organization seeking to provide equilibrium for the essentials of human life in view of environmental change. Human beings have certain universal needs. Food availability, among other things, is not assured by nature. To make sure that there is a steady supply of essential conditions and items, we organize. Labor is divided, specialized, and institutionalized. We become Civilized.
Just as universal conditions of human need allows a working definition of civilization, the environment sets the conditions of civilization. This is called environmental or geographic determinism. It should really be read plural - determinisms - because it is always more complex than we seem to make it. Regardless of what civilization, or of where in time we look, all humanity is dependant on the geography and natural environment. All civilizations are essentially agricultural/pastoral (aquatic included) - relying for food on plants and animals. Therefore the way that people organize into civilizations is always reflective at the core of geography and environmental specifics. But, that is not all that determines the character of a civilization. At a certain point in human social organization, we become a problem to ourselves. We pollute, we oppress, wealth and power become concentrated in the hands of a few, we make war. These other kinds of determinisms are social and cultural. They are the result of institutional behavior and beliefs. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. This has sparked global controversy about human rights. Race, gender, class, political economy, and human rights become prime factors in evaluating the health of a (civilized) social system.
What is politics? What is economy? what is production, or consumption, or labor? What makes a society stable? What is culture? Why have civilizations ended? These are things that are matters of cultural evolution. In other words, they are things that change. And, change is the only constant. Who we were is not who we are, or who we may yet become. But, there is no tree without roots. I mean that who we are and what we may become are dependant on where we came from, and who we were. Confused yet? Don't be. It just means that human kind has an important past. Important if we intend to choose the direction of our future.
Because the search for answers to why we are who we are may mean preventing our extinction, the subject of how we look at ourselves is critically important. Everything is important. Everything we examine must be clearly defined, and compared. Comparison is key. This means you will often be looking around in the book for one item to compare with another from some distant part of the text. Don't let this bother you. There simply is no book that can be organized to do what we must - define and compare aspects of human civilization. Use the table of contents, and the index to start.
Really, every entry in your book should be scrutinized. Why, for instance, do we have a "first civilization" if there is no clear date or definition of what civilization is? Why does the book treat sedentary (settled city-based) civilizations as superior to semi-nomadic ones? Does the book really give equal time to each civilization? Does it really reflect a balance of gender? Are poorer people - those who did (do) the most work - adequately addressed? What may have been consciously or unconsciously in the minds of the writers? In other words, we must always question our own civilization. That is what this course is about. Ultimately, we compare other civilizations (and the term itself) in light of who we assume we are.
I am just a guide.
I need you to present me with those comparisons.