Assignements A Flashcards
How did the Ancient Greeks and Romans influence today’s society?
How does it differ from todays?
- Institutions: money-based economy, rule of law, open markets, oligarchies/ polis democracies where everybody knows the law (local) BIG state
- Democracy: polis, individual liberty, freedom of thought/ speech, first national consciousness, participation by right of birth, excluding foreigners, slavery, subordination of individual to society
- Culture: city-state culture, idea of free people, no conquering but still nationalism,
- Philosophy: Epicurean: natural laws, rational approach, Stoicism/Epicurean/Platonism/Aristotelism as a basis for Christianity no high regard, questioning society not encouraged to the same extent, philosophy under science and religion
- Art: showing social status, humanism, not accessible for everybody (luxury)
How did the Ancient Greeks and Romans identify?
Concept of Europe at that time?
Greek= superiority complex (Athens), Romans were a conquering Empire (conquering tradition, later Christian mission)
No concept of Europe per se, expansionism and conquering “for the greater good” like Europe nowadays, identity microcommunities
What did they try to say through the Europa myth on a practicable and theoretical level?
Europa myth as an explanation for the territory for the civilizations and “superiority”-complex
When did we start to have an idea of antiquity as base of European identity?
Europe no real identity (imagined community that shares values (Renaissance/ Enlightenment) and history shaped by othering ) –> just economic/ political union (MAASTRICHT TREATY)
What is Renaissance?
• A cultural, artistical, political, intellectual and philosophical historical period, a cultural
movement into the modernity/modern era.
• The renaissance took place between the 15th.-16th. Centuries.
• The base for renaissance ideas was provided by ancient Rome and Greece.
Enlightenment
Period following the renaissance, characterized on an anthropologic view, based on freedom,
dignity and self-thoughts.
• A cultural movement of the 17th´-18th. Century that was more focussed on the self-consciousness and
reason.
• Freedom of knowledge.
• Enlightenment despotism
Humanism
• Human nature was more important than religion.
• Rationalist thought, everything is proved through observation.
• Movement based more on a free individual rather than an influenced one, e.g. the church.
• Strongly characterized by Erasmus from Rotterdam (“prince of humanism“), Erasmus was a
Christian humanist who noted that humanism/civilization was built on christian values/moralities.
• Renewal of the “humanist“ self through self reading body of texts
Secularism
Disassociation from religious concerns.
• The secularization did not immediately develop in European culture during renaissance, many
humanists/scientists where deeply Christian.
Republic of letters
A community of scholars and transcending political divisions and countries borders, which
became more popular during the enlightenment
• New sense of common secular culture. The people remained religious, but where United in as
secular community
How did Europe transition from renaissance to enlightenment?
• Caused through: Schisms, the popularization of Protestantism and a sense of “renewal“.
• Process of creating an “ideal state“.
• Renaissance and enlightenment are interconnected, enlightenment installed the “reason“ in the
renaissance concept of “self“
How did religion influence renaissance?
A. Islam
• During the renaissance islam was an external factor for othering and therefore influenced the
period.
• With islam being an external factor, christianity became a uniting element in Europe.
B. Christanity
• In renaissance times Christianity was the internal “other“.
• With the reconquista Catholicism came back and was a uniting element for the Spanish. 1492
How did the “classical age“ affect renaissance?
In the renaissance the classical age was rediscovered, the core of what renaissance was, was the
conception of “classical rebirth“.
What was the role of scholarisation in europe?
It was important for the founding of institutional education, such as universities.
• It was a part of the causes of secularization.
• It was the start of the democratization of education.
Impact of printing press
Bible could be spread further, which helped the development of Protestantism.
• The encyclopedia could be printed and therefore a source of knowledge was provided which was
automnous and easier to access. Also it was not the clergy or the emperor who published this
knowledge.
What were the major discoveries in europe’s renaissance? What were the impacts?
• Printing press, which was build by Johannes Gutenberg in the 16th century.
• The maritime travels and discoveries, e.g. Columbus in 1492, also better ships where constructed
for that matter.
• Mercator and cartography.
• Compass.
• Steam engine.
• Telescope/astronomy.
• Artillery.
Impacts:
• Intellectual and cultural development of Europe.
• Economic development was reached through war (artillery).
• The discovery of the Americas were crucial to the development of trade and the further
development of Europe.
• Slave trade, colonization, race theories.
• The europeans started to discover the world because they wanted tea. The europeans still had a
feeling of inferiority so they wanted what the Indians had.
• Culture exportation.
• When the europeans met the natives from other continents they became aware of their own
civilization and the values provided by the enlightenment.
