The German historian Karl Jaspers grouped Socrates, Confucius, Lao-Tzu, Gottama Buddha and other contemporary ancient thinkers into "The Axial Age" because it seems as though history turns on an axis and moves in a different direction afterwards. How did this happen? Why are these great thinkers roughly contemporary?
Not all ancient societies experienced this Great Awakening -- only those with established literacy. The Ancient Greeks, Indians, and Chinese had a written language that was easier and more widely used than older systems such as the Egyptian. This cannot be a coincidence. Established literacy enabled philosophy.
The "Magic Book" approach is really a supernatural version of this insight.
The Axis of Literacy
Labels:
Chinese,
Confucius,
Egyptian,
Gottama Buddha,
Greeks,
Indians,
Karl Jaspers,
Lao-Tzu,
magic books,
Socrates
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1 comment:
I just read everything on your blog and loved it.
I've bookmarked it and will check back in the future.
Thanks,
Steve.
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