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The Axial Age presentation #1

The Axial Age presentation #1. 500 BC – 100 AD. Thoughts, Thinkers, and Empires. Solve problems of human nature Identify human nature Social and political solutions Iran’s Zoroaster Approx. 600 BC give or take 100 years Dualist religion Zoroastrianism (IDEA #7) Ahura Mazda vs. Ahriman

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The Axial Age presentation #1

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  1. The Axial Age presentation #1 500 BC – 100 AD

  2. Thoughts, Thinkers, and Empires • Solve problems of human nature • Identify human nature • Social and political solutions • Iran’s Zoroaster • Approx. 600 BC give or take 100 years • Dualist religion Zoroastrianism (IDEA #7) • Ahura Mazda vs. Ahriman • Light vs. Dark • Dominates Iran for 1000 years • Spreads outward to influence all other thinkers of the Axial Age

  3. Zoroaster (from Raphael’s School of Athens)

  4. Upishands • India c. 600 BC • Basis of early Hinduism • Universe eternal and uncreated • Reality exists outside the senses • Reincarnation (IDEA #8)

  5. India’s Sages • Mahavira • c. 600 BC • Jainism • Siddhartha Guatama • The Buddha • c. 550 BC • Escape from desire • Nirvana = extinction of the self (IDEA #9)

  6. China’s Sages • Lao Tzu c. 450 BC • Warring States Period • Detach from the world to avoid suffering • Salvation in another world, not just survival in this • (IDEA #10) • Use power of mind and rituals • Confucius • c. 500 BC • Loyalty to family and state

  7. Lao Tzu

  8. Confucius and his disciples

  9. Hebrew Philosophy/Religion • Jews of the Levant (Asia’s Med. coast) • Inhabit war zone between Egypt and Mes. • Pastoral people (herders) • Early tribal religion (like Mesopotamians) • Est. two warring kingdoms • Israel • Judah • Conquered in 580 BC by Babylonia • King Nebuchadnezzar • Deported Jews (Babylonian Captivity) • Diaspora • Attempt to maintain identity led to codifying religious law (IDEA #11)

  10. Old/Hebrew Testament • Superior tribal god morphs into 1 true God • (IDEA #12) • Lack of power in political sphere led to belief that suffering = punishment for sin (IDEA #13) • Living according to God’s Law would lead to reward • Immortality • Relief from sinfulness • Elimination of evil • Empire over enemies

  11. Jesus of Nazareth • Jesus last great teacher of the Axial Age • Died c. 33 AD • Independent Jewish rabbi with radical message • Purge priesthood of corruption • Cleanse temple of money lending practices • Salvation comes from grace (IDEA #14) • Personal connection w/ God rather than law • Kristus = Greek for “Messiah” or “Anointed One”

  12. The Last Supperby Leonardo Da Vinci

  13. Greek Teachers of 4th Century BC • Socrates • Plato • Aristotle

  14. Socrates

  15. Plato and Aristotlefrom Raphael's The School of Athens

  16. Big Ideas of the Axial Age • Creation (IDEA #15) • Invention of the concept of “nothing” or “zero” • Earlier myths simply redistributed pre-existing matter • “Big Bang” Theory • Brahma spinning Universe like a spider • Creation by intellectual not physical act • Thought • Emotion • Logos • Word • Now the fundamental principle of world philosophy

  17. Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu

  18. Monotheism (IDEA #12) • Previous religions diverse and polytheistic • Dualism (Persia) • Hierarchical (Greece) • Multiplicity = Unity (Hinduism) • Monotheism develops early in Judaism • Yahweh • Treasure too precious to share with Gentiles • Abrahamic tradition now most pop. in world • Judaism • Christianity • Islam

  19. Divine Love (IDEA #14) • Begins with doctrines of unselfishness common to many religions • Mozi in China • Brahmanism (world is an illusion) • Greek (world is divine) • Confucianism (world is neutral) • Buddhism (world is transient) • Zoroastrianism (world is evil) • Christianity (world is good)

  20. Divine Love cont. • Led to belief that humans are divinely special • Previous thinkers tended to see all living things as equal • Jainists • Southern Italian philosophers • New hierarchical structures • Greece (Aristotle) • China (Xunzi) • Christianity pop. because it did not restrict Divine Love to a single people or race

  21. New Political Thought • Debate regarding basic view of human nature • Optimists (man is intrinsically good) • (IDEA #16) • Pessimists (man is intrinsically evil) • (IDEA #17)

  22. Pessimists • Strengthen state to protect man from himself • Plato • Censorship • Repression • Militarism • Extreme communism • Selective breeding (eugenics) • Deception of people by the state • Rigid class structure • All power in the hands of philosopher-kings (Guardians) (IDEA #18) • Intellectual superiority • Heredity and education

  23. Plato’s Classes

  24. More Pessimists • Legalism in China (4th Century BC) • Law is right regardless of ethics (IDEA #19) • Obedience is all that matters • “goodness” is irrelevant, only “order” matters • No equating human law w/ divine law • Reaction to inability of Confucianism and Daoism to control Warring States • Severe punishments • Anticipation of modern fascism • Glorification of “order” and “war” • Praised agriculture • Anti-capitalism • Suppression of the individual in subordination to the state

  25. Political Optimists • Confucianism • Function of state to liberate subjects to fullest • States not working in best interest of subjects should be rebelled against • State obligated to subjects, not subjects to state (IDEA #20) • Indian Sages • Rulers/kings elected by aristocrats (IDEA #21) • Usually hundreds or thousands of voters

  26. Optimists cont. • Daoists • Ruler’s job is to enforce virtue • Must lead by example • Greek optimists • States as practical methods • Experiments • Republican • Aristocratic • Democratic • True democracy is dangerous • Best gov. = flexible aristocracy limited by laws (IDEA #22) • Aristotle’s combination government • Romans • United States?

  27. Still more Optimists • Jesus as a political subversive • “Render unto Caesar” Political irony (IDEA #23) • Welcomed social outcasts from Jewish system • Leads to political execution

  28. Challenging Illusions • Debate over Appearance vs. Reality • Plato’s Allegory of the Cave • Attempts to “know” true reality • Mathematics • Indian sages come up with concept of infinity (IDEA #24) • Greeks find incalculable ratios • Pi • Golden mean (approximately 1.618) • Underpin descriptions of the universe • Pythagoras c. 550 BC (IDEA #25) • Believed universe made of numbers • “5” and “2” exist even if there is nothing to count • Result is “Rationalism” (distrust of the senses) • Reason will find truth and solve problems

  29. Reason • Parmenides c. 500 BC • Geometry = reality • “a perfect triangle, like god has never been seen” • all objects like this (IDEA #25) • Chinese Paradoxes • thought its pure because not filtered through senses • Zeno • 1/2 paradoxes • Aristotle’s exposition on reason taught western world how to think (IDEA #26) • syllogism • (Nyaya school in India similar)

  30. Science • Also distrust of senses • No differentiation between natural and supernatural until Chinese 679 B.C. (IDEA #27) • attempts to explore “natural” to dig out superstition. • inanimate substances have no wills • Greek science rooted in magic • nature worship encouraged natural explanation • developed scientific method to know gods better.

  31. Science cont. • led to Greek scientific achievements • Aristotle’s biological texts • Archimedes principles of mechanics C. 250 B.C. • C. 200 B.C. Eratosthenes calculated almost exactly the size of the planet • Chinese Science ( systematic investigation of nature) • from Daoist nature worship • avoided theory in favor of observation to avoid contamination of reason • Chinese science weak on theory and heavy on technology.

  32. Eratosthenes Formula

  33. Archimedes

  34. Medicine • Hippocrates C. 500 B.C. • balance 4 humors • Phlegm, blood, yellow bile, and black bile • Phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine, choleric • diet, vomiting, laxatives, bloodletting • scientifically based • Indian C. 550 B.C. • Susutra • charaka

  35. Skepticism • world might be purposeless • China • Liezi “Mosquito” • Wang Chong • Greeks Epicurus • imaginary world of gods • nothing to hope/fear • atomic theory • Romans • Sextus Empiricus • man invented gods as a form of social control

  36. Stoicism (Greeks) • Zeno C. 400 B.C. • Nature morally neutral • fatalism • indifference • Similar to Buddism

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