Political Challenges Study: Challenges of Religion | Quizlet

Identity

The image we have of ourselves as a person, including beliefs and values, skills and capabilities, behaviour and the environment

Belief

What we deem to be true (not necessarily reality)

Value

What we hold to be important (guides our morals)

Ideas

What we hold to be possible

What is culture

Everything that people have, think and do as members of society

What is politics

The public sphere of the state, conflict and cooperation and pursuit and exercise of power

Where does the term politics come from?

From the greek 'politika': affairs of the city

The public sphere of the state

Struggle for power and leadership that gives an individual or group the ability to make the authoritative decisions for the public

Conflict and cooperation

The process of resolving conflicts in which rival views and competing interests are reconciled because 'we are not all alike'

Pursuit and exercise of power

Provides focus for understanding the production, distribution and use of resources

Where do we get the name 'Europe' from

Mythical story of the maiden Europa, a phoenician princess abducted by Zeus and taken to Crete

How was Greek culture spread

Alexander the Great, Macedonian king who was educated by Aristotle

Hellenistic civilisation:

A mixture of Greek culture and pre-existing tradition of various regions

Citizens of the World

Cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan

Cosmo + polis= belong to the world

The Greek intellectual heritage

-Concept of fostering individual spiritual development: philosophy, arts, science and literature

-Concept of citizen: civil rights, birthplace of democracy

Greco-Roman culture

Mixture of Greek and Roman culture that resulted from Roman adaptation of Greek art, religion and ideas

What war meant to Rome

Expansionist military power, creation of foreign enemies eased internal tensions and external challenge for the population, war used as a way to achieve fame, wealth and status

Romanisation

Construction of amphitheaters, temples, aqueducts and baths, network of roads that linked Roman territories and provided cohesion and security

The Roman legal heritage:

An elaborate system of laws that is the basis of jurisprudence in many parts of Europe and the world today, e.g. benefit of the doubt, spirit of the law prevails over its' letter

Roman culture

Status & power determined by wealth and prestige, way to the top was open to all free men living within the limits of empire 'limes', all citizens had equal rights if they agreed with the 'Paideia' ideal

Paideia ideal

Reading, writing and speaking Latin well, based on Greek texts

Roman strengths

Advanced communication network, lingua franca, open cultural ideals

Aristotle's six-fold classification

3 forms of proper governments (e.g. monarchy) and 3 forms of deviant governments (e.g. democracy as he saw it as 'mob rule' but also the best of the worst type)

Distinction between power and authority

Power implies form of coercion to cause those not in power to behave out of character, authority does not require force as it is defined in terms of legitimacy

Sovereignty implied in Weber's words

the state has a 'monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in enforcing its order within a given territorial area'

How are the government and state distinguished from one another

State: A much larger entity, containing political and bureaucratic institutions, the military, judiciary, police and security services

Civil society concept

A range of private institutions existing between the individual and the state: business, trade unions, religion, etc.

Secularisation

The separation of church and state and transformation to secular institutions

Fall of the Roman Empire timeline:

Long decline: 3rd to 5th AD

Under attack by 'barbarians'

395 AD: Division of the Empire between West and East

410 AD: Sacking of Rome by the Visigoths

455 AD: Second sacking by the Vandals

476 AD: Fall of the last Roman Emperor

Christian Church the Heir of Rome through:

1. Bureaucratic structure

2. Organisational Strength

3. Civilising ideology

CC Bureaucratic structure

Church adopted the organisational hierarchical structure of the Roman State: bishops & Pope became Head of Church & a political player

CC Organisational strength

Network of authorities that offered services, protections and security to people

CC Civilising ideology

Christian conversion of old Greco-Roman elites schooled in the ideals of paideia

The first united 'Europe'

Charlemagne & the Holy Roman Empire

Why were kings respected

Divine right and anointed by priests

How did Charlemagne spread Christianity

He engaged in expansionist campaigns that led to the establishment of Christianity among all the tribes he subdued

Charlemagne 800 AD:

Given the imperial crown by the Pope as the first in a long line of Holy Roman Emperors

Carolingian Europe

The direct predecessor of the HRE, similar to early EU due to its geography, Greco-Roman roots and religion

St. Augustine's two cities

1. City of God

2. City of Man

City of God

- Based on love of God

- Greatest glory is found in and with God

- God is the source of its strength

- Consists of those who live according to God

City of Man

- Based on love of Self even in contempt of God

- Seeks glory from men

- Delights in own strength from rulers

- Consists of those who live according to man

Charlemagne and medieval education

Education spread christianity which led to a better understanding of Holy scripture

Carolingian culture:

Christian/Roman/German values: Germanisation of Christianity

Education spread Christianity

- Roman-Christian ideology which became the essence of civilisation

- Taught in Latin (universal language at the time)

Monasteries

- Fundamental Christian institution

- Idea: retreat in the private sphere of prayer

- Monastic communities seen as places of God

- Created 'European Mind'

Medieval social structure

Christian religion is the backbone of this structure

1. God

2. Emperor, King/Pope

3. Prince, etc./Cardinal, Archbishop, Bishop

4. Craftsmen, Merchants, Peasants/Priests, Monks

5. Serfs/Believers

Root of individual rights

Medieval social structure, allowed noblemen to control budgets and taxes

The Great Schism

- Formal date 1054

- Splitting between Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church

Christian expansion post Charlemagne

Continued beyond his death, stopped at the frontier of Byzantium headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople

Donation of Constantine

Legitimised the Western domination of the popes

Humanism Impact

Made European elites more critical, questioned authority of the Church and the Bible as a man made creation

What is Humanism

An intellectual movement that focused on human potential and achievements

What is the Renaissance

1. Renaissance wider idea than Humanism, it is focused on the arts, literature and music

2. Man becomes a unique being, powerful of his rational and creative capacities

What is virtù

Man must honour God by making the most of his qualities and must realise his innate creative potential

Renaissance & Humanism timeline

1400-1650 AD

3 Values of Humanism

1. Individualism

2. Classical Learning

3. Secularism

What is the 'New Man' of the Renaissance

Someone who developed all aspects of themselves rather than focusing on religion, they aimed to be a well-rounded educated and active society member

What is Protestantism (the Reformation)

- A form of Christianity that was in opposition to the Catholic Church

- A return to the basics of Christian religion

- Questions the authority of Rome

- Spread quickly due to printing press (Germany & beyond)

- Hirst p.31 "Christianity but not Roman"

Effects of the Renaissance & Humanism movements

Scientific revolution (rethinking of our Universe) & the Enlightenment (seeks answers on society's problems)

The Enlightenment

Emphasised reason and the scientific method, advocacy of the use of reason to discover truths,

Main message of The Enlightenment according to Hirst

To make reason sovereign

3 reasons for the Renaissance

1. Wealth (funded artists, new ideas & scholars)

2. Classical Inheritance (rediscovery of greek & roman ideas, led to humanism and new thinking about arts)

3. Independent city-states (led to competition, gave people more freedom than feudal systems)

What is Rationalism

The light of reason, doubt all claims to authority and power which are not based on logical and reasoned principles

What is Empiricism

Empirical data rules, a refusal to accept ideas that cannot be reduced to empirical evidence as truth

What is Secularism

Separation of Church and State, state affairs are conducted based on rational and empirical considerations

The basis of current European values

1. Humanistic thinking

2. Rationality

3. Secularity

4. Rule of Law

5. Democracy

6. Human Rights

The Great Tradition

Fascination with the Ancients and steady throughout the Middle Ages, at Charlemagne's coutt

Role of education during the Renaissance

Education went from mostly religious and narrow to broad, human-focused and practical with an emphasis on subjects such as literature, history and philosophy