Major Concepts Influencing the Development of Western Civilization
Due to the three thousand year time period of this course, some limits must be placed on the material to be covered. Six concepts or themes have been selected to act as foci to organize the historical developments.
Religion
Ideology
Humanism
Individualism
Secularism
Skepticism
Due to the three thousand year time period of this course, some limits must be placed on the material to be covered. Six concepts or themes have been selected to act as foci to organize the historical developments.
Religion
- Religion implies a system of beliefs based on faith without the need for material proof. Most religions are an organized system of doctrines concerning spiritual matters, especially that of a divine power or powers which should be obeyed. The religions usually set out the expected form of worship, for example, Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
Ideology
- An ideology is a system of beliefs concerning human society and its values. An ideology generally includes some interpretation of the past, present and some set of goals for the future. It provides unity for its followers though establishing a common way of seeing the world. Communism, democracy, and fascism are examples of ideologies.
Humanism
- Humanism is a view of life centred on the nature and interests of people, stating that they can achieve their highest ideals through their own abilities. Humans are considered to be capable of reason; thus they are able to make appropriate decisions without the need for explanations based on the supernatural.
Individualism
- Human actions should be based on the self-interest of the individual. In economics, the government should, as far as possible, leave the individual free to pursue his or her own concerns. In politics, the state should serve the interests of the individual and not burden people with regulations. Individualism prizes the independence of each person and stresses the right of each to lead his or her own life without being forced to conform to prevailing social patterns.
Secularism
- Secularism rejects religious or spiritual practices in the conduct of affairs, especially involving government. A secularist would argue that education should be a function of the government with no control by or guidance from religion. Secularism deals with the world as it is, making no reference to the supernatural.
Skepticism
- This philosophical attitude adopts a critical approach toward all systems that claim to have final knowledge. Skeptics challenge generally accepted assumptions in all areas- religion, science, morality, economics, and history- as they doubt that certainty is possible. A skeptic will question or suspend judgment on all knowledge claims, especially in matters of religion.