history - linear / circular

[Scott]

This is interesting. I am listening to a lecture series on The Conquest of the Americas by a professor at Vanderbilt. He identifies 4 reasons why European countries were the first to expand out at as extensively as they did. One of the reasons he cites is that the Europeans had a Christian worldview, which produced linear view of history, in contrast to the then more common eastern views that see history as circular. The professor also attributes the linear understanding of history as contributing to the development and exploitation of science (key parts of which were taken from the Islamic world), which also aided in expansion and exploration.

It is very interesting to hear this kind of thing in a secular setting by someone who is not lauding the expansion.

As a side note, it is interesting that America has such a hard time producing scientists these days and that America is importing them (through immigration) from eastern countries that still largely have cyclical worldviews.

[Edited on 12-20-2005 by Scott]

 

[Vytautas]

It has been said that one´s view of history determines history. One example is Greg Singer. Now is this true? Can one´s worldview determine what the world is like? History is usually shaped by the people who shape it. But what about other factors that shape history? Do not natural factors play apart in history? Natural disasters wreck havoc on the landscape. Weather conditions played apart in major wars. But it seems that the events that take place are not largely caused by natural means. Then that would mean that there is a large human factor to take into consideration.

Back to the original question, can a part of a person´s worldview determine what happens? What does a belief have to do with a person´s actions? Can a belief provide any way of action? This question does not look at the big picture of world history but attempts to look at personal behavior. Perhaps if we knew what persons behavior is caused by then you could extrapolate that theory into what happens in history. So what causes a person to behave a certain way? Thoughts are what determine how a person would act. How is this known? Maybe there are other factors?

Could it be that a person´s backgrounds such as who the parents were determine a person´s actions? In sense this could be true. If the father of a person was a blacksmith then it is also possible for the son to be a blacksmith as well. Why is this? The father, who is already a blacksmith, would cause the son to be a blacksmith also because he is a blacksmith. But it is not necessarily true that the father´s profession would in turn be the son´s perfusion. Martin Luther´s father was a miner but he himself was not a miner. Perhaps if one´s parents were wealthy you would be wealthy as well. But what is the necessary cause between one´s parents being wealthy and yourself being wealthy?

Maybe the answer lies in the environment in which the causes would be natural. A people group living near the ocean would then use the resources of the ocean. This would mean that the professions of the people living by the sea will in some way be related to the sea. For example, there could be sailors located within that people group because they live near the sea. There is some hope in saying that there are environmental factors involved in a person´s behavior. Does a person´s behavior shape the environment or does the environment shape a person´s behavior? In the example given the people were shaped by their environment. Is that always the case?