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 Light vs. Dark

Dominates Iran for 1000 years Spreads outward to influence all other thinkers

of the Axial Age

Zoroaster (from Raphael’s School of Athens)

Upishands

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

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)

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

Lao Tzu

Confucius and his disciples

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)

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

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”

The Last Supperby Leonardo Da Vinci

Greek Teachers of 4th Century BC

Socrates

Plato

Aristotle

Socrates

Plato and Aristotlefrom Raphael's The School of Athens

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

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu

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

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)

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

New Political Thought

Debate regarding basic view of human nature

Optimists (man is intrinsically good) (IDEA #16)

Pessimists (man is intrinsically evil) (IDEA #17)

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

Plato’s Classes

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

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

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?

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

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

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)

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.

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.

Eratosthenes Formula

Archimedes

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

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

Stoicism (Greeks)

Zeno C. 400 B.C. Nature morally neutral

fatalism indifference

Similar to Buddism