Characteristics of Western Civilization can be found in many different ancient civilizations. Ancient Greece has had the most influence on western civilization. Aspects of western civilization such as philosophy, Western values, and science were all influenced by ancient Greek. The roots of western civilization can be traced back to four thousand years ago, in ancient Greece.
Philosophy opened a whole different way of thinking. Socrates the father of western philosophy; started a chain reaction when he taught Plato, who taught Aristotle, who would later tutor Alexander the Great. Socrates believed that a life that was unexplored and questioned was not worth living. Unlike many philosophers who questioned the physical world and how to explain
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Westerns values their traditions. In the United States, sports is a huge. This can be said for all of Western Civilization. Every four years they come together and the Olympics, a sporting event happens. This event unifies the five inhabited continents in the world. Ancient Olympics originated in Greece. The Olympics also unified Greece’s city-States. Like now the Olympic Games were a form of entertainment that came from their values and beliefs. Ancient Olympics started to honor of the God Zeus. The athletes that won were praised; their victory not only brought honor to themselves but to their cities as well. This is similar to what it is like when someone wins a medal in the modern Olympics. It is obvious that sports was an important aspect of Greek culture. It was everywhere, in their art works it was there culture. One of the most famous sculpture is The Discus Thrower by Myron. Myron became famous for his representations of athletes through art. The arts and sports can be seen as very different things, however, the Greeks learned their values from them. The sports taught them to value their bodies and strength. They also learned values from the Dramas (plays), tragedies and comedies. The tragedies consisted of tragic events happening to the main character and comedy was a form of slapstick. Antigone a tragedy by Sophocles showed values including power, family, and willingness. In the
The Ancient Greeks have done so much for the western civilizations. Their success in art, philosophy, architecture, science, government, and history have influenced the western civilizations to use their ideas. Many different people came up with different ideas to contribute to their government. New ideas and conclusions were constantly being made because of philosophers asking questions all the time. They really helped shaped Ancient Greece's government.
The Ancient Olympic Games took place during a time of prosperity for the nation of Greece. In fact, they contributed to the success of the Greek Empire. The Olympic Games reinforced the power of ancient rulers, brought peace with the surrounding nations, and created a reliable way to track time. These ancient games have had such an influence, that they are still continued in our modern society.
The Greeks and Romans social, political, and economical ways of life shaped modern western civilization.
First, I agree that the Western civilization has a clear lineage that focuses on the majority of the following attributes: competition/innovation, science, property rights, personal freedoms, and a free-market economy. Ferguson (2014) points out that competition, property oriented government and science are some of the unique attributes that enabled the West rise to power. As a result of competition, the western people became more innovative and business-oriented, thus, making them aggressive in areas
In 776 B.C a new era began for athletes. The first olympic games were held in Olympia, Greece. “The ancient games were not only an expression and definition of common cultural values, but also an arena for intense competition between Greeks.” (Gold, silver, and bronze) The olympics were an important part of Ancient Greece culture because, it brought their civilization together, kept the greeks fit and ready for war, and the games were used to satisfy their gods.
Cradles of Civilizations lie in the societies that were recognized for being the first of a certain aspect to Western Civilization that made an impact. The four major ones are Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China. Each of the four has similarities between them, despite being in different locations. There is also the possibility of more of these civilizations existing besides the four main ones. The general characteristics of a complex societies or civilization include military and religion. The cradles of civilization fall perfectly into the definition of complex.
This Greek play expressed the values of family and respect. Greek dramas have been contributions because they were the building blocks of movies, more plays and other forms of entertainment. Over time, they have become more creative with more actors and more colorful costumes. In classical Greece, there were only three actors with masks to show different characters. The Olympics have also made a huge impact. The Olympics was a huge event where specifically males participated in various competitive events. Discus throwing was a popular event in which people competed to see who could throw a large stone disc the farthest. The Olympics have been a contribution because it is a much more popular and larger event today. In today’s era, the Olympics are played every four years. A wide range of competitions and sports have been added to the Olympics and it is participated in world wide.
Personally the biggest characteristic that separated western civilization from others is Christianity. They were influenced into this by the Hebrews and took it beyond being monotheistic which already was out of the norm. It affected their law, art, music, and most importantly their society, “Judeo-Christian”, which is simply the belief of two different religions together in this case it would be Judi and Christian. The source document for Judeo-Christian better known as the bible impacted their thinking drastically. Western people truly thought they had a bond with God. This affected their everyday attitude, they avided by the saying cope instead of hope and they all truly believed in it. Overall, the Hebrews impacted the western people in a major way. Another contribution the Hebrews brought that gave them a unique characteristic was the importance of individualism, meaning that they would live as a democracy and have big beliefs in freedom and individuality which is the way there civilization thinks. Talking about the differences between eastern and western civilization was fairly
Through out the history of Western Civilization we have seen many important moments occur. From the Neolithic revolution, to humans conquering and spreading across the globe, there are many moments that have shaped its history and the present day. In this essay I will mention 5 of the most important moments/changes in Western Civilization and the reasons for why they are so important to societies in the western world and beyond.
"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us,” said John Williams, the composer for theme music for the Olympics (8). The Olympic Games are international sports festivals that began in ancient Greece. The first ancient Olympics can be traced back to 776 BC when people held this religious festival to honour Zeus, the father of all the Greek gods and goddesses. The participants were male citizens from Greece, and these athletes participated in only one event — foot race. Unfortunately, this ancient Olympics did not last forever. The first olympic in 776 BC in Olympia was an significant event
While there are clear contrasts between the ancient and the modern Olympics there is still the respect for the athlete striving to perform at the highest level. Today, the Olympic Games are the world's largest carnival of athletic skill and competitive spirit. They are displays of nationalism, commerce, and politics. These important elements of the Olympics are not a modern invention, as the first Olympics was in 776 BC in Ancient Greece. After 1503 years, in 1896 the Olympic Games were recreated as what we know today. The Ancient Games were once dedicated to the Olympian God, Zeus Olympios and were staged on the ancient plains of Olympia, which is also how the word ‘Olympics’ originated from. The modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event, which feature both summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of respectable athletes from over 200 different nations compete against one another. There are clear contrast between the modern and ancient forms of the Olympic Games regarding uniforms, participants, religion, events, politics and the concept of amateurism. However both the Ancient Greeks and the people in the modern world still respect and admire the athletics achievements of the participants making the Olympics the most highly regarded contest in sport.
One exceptionally significant custom of the Greeks still observed today is the Olympics. These ancient games incorporated a concept of free athletic competition without bloodshed. If the Greeks
In this essay I will be discussing four of the major themes in this course in terms of progress, they will be religion, humanism, individualism and secularism. I will discuss these concepts within the countries of England, France, and Russia, and show my point of view on each.
Western culture and policies have shaped the modern world, especially the Middle East, in many ways. Since the sixteenth century, the nations of Western civilization have been the driving wheels of modernization. Globalization is simply the spread of modern institutions and ideas from one high power to the wider world. Technological innovation and economic growth along with such concepts as democracy, individualism, and the rule of law administered by an impartial judiciary, set Western societies above and beyond any possible rival. Other cultures looked to the West as a model, a threat, or some combination of both. One country that was most successful in their confrontations with Western states was Japan, who incorporated Western
Western Civilization has had a tremendous influence on many different cultures worldwide. From the Hispanic cultures in South and Central America, to the Caribbean islands, and also to the various exotic African countries, and even to the distinguished cultures that reside in the continent of Asia. In many ways than one, these cultures have been molded to be as westernized as they could possibly be without losing their traditional customs indefinitely. They’re religion, fashion sense, and family structures have all been altered in some form so that it could resemble the western nation’s patriarch. Countries in North America and Europe have for centuries traveled to different continents in the world and colonized many nations, as a result of that, many of the customs and traditions of those people have been shaped to be a bit more westernized.