This is a more current map depicting varying world religions and belief-systems. Note how some of these have maintained their significance in their respective part of the world (ex. Buddhism in parts of Asia) and how others have become extinct (Greco-Roman philosophy).
The Basic Gist
Yazmin Gooren
Yazmin Gooren
2.1.1 - Explain how religions (Buddhism, Christianity,
Confucianism, Greco-Roman Philosophy, & Daoism) acted as a bonding force
& an ethical code to live by.
Confucianism, Greco-Roman Philosophy, & Daoism) acted as a bonding force
& an ethical code to live by.
Religion has acted as a bonding force and ethical code to live
by ever since varying regions of the world became simultaneously involved with
one. Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Greco-Roman Philosophy each came about during the 6th century BCE, with Christianity being the only
exception to that general time frame, starting in the 1st century CE.
With regard to location of origin, Confucianism and Daoism were similar in that
they emerged in and affected China. However, Buddhism, though also slightly
permeating China, was more common in Japan and India, whereas Christianity first
emerged in the various areas of the Roman Empire before spreading both to
northward and westward, while Greco-Roman Philosophy restricted itself mostly to
Rome and Greece. Another similarity is that the majority of these religions or
belief systems were essentially founded by a single individual: Siddhartha
Gautama brought about Buddhism, Jesus of Nazareth brought about Christianity,
Confucius brought about Confucianism and Lao-Tzu (or Laozi, spelling varies)
brought about Daoism. The exception to this general commonality is Greco-Roman
Philosophy, as it was a movement brought about through the collective effort of
various individuals, rather than just one, such as Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle.
Meanwhile, the underlying principles governing these influential
religions and belief systems require a more in-depth analysis, as they are both
similar and different, in varying ways. Generally speaking, Daoism and
Confucianism were concerned mostly with restoring order to society, while
Christianity and Buddhism both were also concerned with organizing society, but
also focused on providing instruction for the current life in order to
understand the next or afterlife. Finally, Greco-Roman philosophy concerned
itself mostly with understanding the self, society, and life at large. Daoism accomplished this by focusing mostly on the way of nature, being a belief system based on the underlying force (Dao, sometimes Tao) of the world. This force is often compared to water, seeing as it is both passive and yielding, and strong, managing to simultaneously do nothing and accomplish everything. Daoism sees both ambition/activism as only bringing chaos to the world (again, with its focus being an attempt at restoring order) and consequentially stresses “wuwei,” which is essentially a disengagement from worldly affairs, and encourages the establishment of small self-sufficient communities, no war or conquest, advanced education, or any sort of other personal striving or unnatural way of living. Meanwhile, Confucianism strives to do the same as Daoism, but by providing a sociopolitical philosophy detailing the moral, ethical, and practical manners in which this societal order may be restored. This is
accomplished mostly by delineating the nature of the 5 crucial relationships
(ruler/subject, parent/child, husband/wife, older brother/younger brother,
friend/friend) and thereby establishing who may assume the role of superiority,
and who should simply pursue obedience. The principles of Ren
(humanity/kindness//loyalty/respect towards others), Li (deference to elders),
and Xiao (filial piety) are also stressed. The ultimate aim of Confucianism is
to bring about good government through the education of superior individuals
(Junzi) who are conscientious and self-sacrificing, and thereby fit to rule.
Christianity, however, starts to move into the realm of a
religion that wasn’t simply used to restore order. Christianity actually
prevented order at the beginning, as believers were long persecuted in Rome.
Once it had gained a sizable and accepted following, though, Christianity’s
emphasis on compassion, love of others, self-sacrifice in order to compensate
for, and generic moral soundness allowed it to become more of a societal
guideline. Its promise of an
eternal life for those (regardless of gender, age, or social standing) who
accept the divinity, death, and
resurrection of Christ, shows Christianity’s role in informing people of a
certain kind of “afterlife, ” which could be good or bad, depending on whether
or not an individual had accepted Christ and attempted to absolve themselves of
their sins. This is a concept shared with Buddhism, as Buddhism also preaches
that an individual’s posthumous fate may be either an improvement or a worsening
of his current state. Buddhism, however, explains this in terms of reincarnation
(which pertains to explaining the next life), as it stresses that successful
reincarnation may be achieved by fulfilling one’s duty faithfully (dharma) and
making good decisions (karma) so that one may rise up in the social pyramid,
seeing as one’s position in society is attributed based on duties. Furthermore,
the basic principle of Buddhism as found in the Four Noble Truths (All life is
suffering, suffering is caused by desire, overcoming non-virtue may relieve the
suffering, following the Eightfold Path is the way to overcome non-virtue)
stresses that individuals engage in “right”behavior (views, aspirations, speech,
conduct, livelihood, endeavor, mindfulness, and meditation), thus being a manner
in which society may be organized.
Meanwhile, Greco-Roman philosophy was less concerned with
restoring order than with understanding the nature of order in and of itself,
along with an intensified understanding of the self, life, society, and universe
at large. Much emphasis was also placed upon that which could not simply be
inferred, such as information about gods, chemical elements, and numbers. Often,
Socrates is seen as the essence of Greco-Roman philosophy, as it is his
‘Socratic dialogue’ that influenced much of modern rhetoric, reasoning, and even
political theory, as explained in terms of justness.
All in all, these religions or belief systems dealt with the general societal circumstances of their place and time, unifying people under common beliefs, and instructing them with widely accepted ethical values.
by ever since varying regions of the world became simultaneously involved with
one. Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and Greco-Roman Philosophy each came about during the 6th century BCE, with Christianity being the only
exception to that general time frame, starting in the 1st century CE.
With regard to location of origin, Confucianism and Daoism were similar in that
they emerged in and affected China. However, Buddhism, though also slightly
permeating China, was more common in Japan and India, whereas Christianity first
emerged in the various areas of the Roman Empire before spreading both to
northward and westward, while Greco-Roman Philosophy restricted itself mostly to
Rome and Greece. Another similarity is that the majority of these religions or
belief systems were essentially founded by a single individual: Siddhartha
Gautama brought about Buddhism, Jesus of Nazareth brought about Christianity,
Confucius brought about Confucianism and Lao-Tzu (or Laozi, spelling varies)
brought about Daoism. The exception to this general commonality is Greco-Roman
Philosophy, as it was a movement brought about through the collective effort of
various individuals, rather than just one, such as Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle.
Meanwhile, the underlying principles governing these influential
religions and belief systems require a more in-depth analysis, as they are both
similar and different, in varying ways. Generally speaking, Daoism and
Confucianism were concerned mostly with restoring order to society, while
Christianity and Buddhism both were also concerned with organizing society, but
also focused on providing instruction for the current life in order to
understand the next or afterlife. Finally, Greco-Roman philosophy concerned
itself mostly with understanding the self, society, and life at large. Daoism accomplished this by focusing mostly on the way of nature, being a belief system based on the underlying force (Dao, sometimes Tao) of the world. This force is often compared to water, seeing as it is both passive and yielding, and strong, managing to simultaneously do nothing and accomplish everything. Daoism sees both ambition/activism as only bringing chaos to the world (again, with its focus being an attempt at restoring order) and consequentially stresses “wuwei,” which is essentially a disengagement from worldly affairs, and encourages the establishment of small self-sufficient communities, no war or conquest, advanced education, or any sort of other personal striving or unnatural way of living. Meanwhile, Confucianism strives to do the same as Daoism, but by providing a sociopolitical philosophy detailing the moral, ethical, and practical manners in which this societal order may be restored. This is
accomplished mostly by delineating the nature of the 5 crucial relationships
(ruler/subject, parent/child, husband/wife, older brother/younger brother,
friend/friend) and thereby establishing who may assume the role of superiority,
and who should simply pursue obedience. The principles of Ren
(humanity/kindness//loyalty/respect towards others), Li (deference to elders),
and Xiao (filial piety) are also stressed. The ultimate aim of Confucianism is
to bring about good government through the education of superior individuals
(Junzi) who are conscientious and self-sacrificing, and thereby fit to rule.
Christianity, however, starts to move into the realm of a
religion that wasn’t simply used to restore order. Christianity actually
prevented order at the beginning, as believers were long persecuted in Rome.
Once it had gained a sizable and accepted following, though, Christianity’s
emphasis on compassion, love of others, self-sacrifice in order to compensate
for, and generic moral soundness allowed it to become more of a societal
guideline. Its promise of an
eternal life for those (regardless of gender, age, or social standing) who
accept the divinity, death, and
resurrection of Christ, shows Christianity’s role in informing people of a
certain kind of “afterlife, ” which could be good or bad, depending on whether
or not an individual had accepted Christ and attempted to absolve themselves of
their sins. This is a concept shared with Buddhism, as Buddhism also preaches
that an individual’s posthumous fate may be either an improvement or a worsening
of his current state. Buddhism, however, explains this in terms of reincarnation
(which pertains to explaining the next life), as it stresses that successful
reincarnation may be achieved by fulfilling one’s duty faithfully (dharma) and
making good decisions (karma) so that one may rise up in the social pyramid,
seeing as one’s position in society is attributed based on duties. Furthermore,
the basic principle of Buddhism as found in the Four Noble Truths (All life is
suffering, suffering is caused by desire, overcoming non-virtue may relieve the
suffering, following the Eightfold Path is the way to overcome non-virtue)
stresses that individuals engage in “right”behavior (views, aspirations, speech,
conduct, livelihood, endeavor, mindfulness, and meditation), thus being a manner
in which society may be organized.
Meanwhile, Greco-Roman philosophy was less concerned with
restoring order than with understanding the nature of order in and of itself,
along with an intensified understanding of the self, life, society, and universe
at large. Much emphasis was also placed upon that which could not simply be
inferred, such as information about gods, chemical elements, and numbers. Often,
Socrates is seen as the essence of Greco-Roman philosophy, as it is his
‘Socratic dialogue’ that influenced much of modern rhetoric, reasoning, and even
political theory, as explained in terms of justness.
All in all, these religions or belief systems dealt with the general societal circumstances of their place and time, unifying people under common beliefs, and instructing them with widely accepted ethical values.
Socrates is often regarded as one of the key figures of Greco-Roman Philosophy.
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Siddhartha Gautama was the founder of Buddhism, a religion which stressed the concepts of dharma and karma, so as to return to a better life after death.
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Works Cited:
Armstrong, Monty, David Daniel, Abby Kanarek, and Alexandra Freer. "Chapter 6;
Ancient Stuff: Around 8000 BCE to Around 600 CE." Cracking the AP: World History Exam 2013. 2013 ed. New York: Random House, 2012. 118-123.
Print. The Princeton Review.
"Buddhism- Our Learning Profiles." Westerlund10. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov.
2012.
<http://westerlund10.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/JoeyG.IndiaWikiTerms>.
Mr. Compton's ppts
"Socrates vs Jesus." - FreeThoughtPedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.freethoughtpedia.com/wiki/Socrates_vs_Jesus>.
"World Religions Map" Harvey Edu. N.p.,n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.
<http://moodle.harveyschool.org/course/view.php?id=293>
