HIST 122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Shang Dynasty, Laozi, Karen Armstrong
18 Oct 2017
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Not gods similar to how we conceive gods presently. Giving spirit and identity to everything in nature. Seen more in asian and african parts of the world. If you performed rituals correctly, you would be religious. Sin happened if you didn"t perform the ritual correctly. Assyrians get defeated and gradually get replaced by persian empire. Indus valley dies out the first and replaced by the vedic age. Not much change has happened in egypt for a long time. Major advancements in the shang state are in mettalurgy. Turning of a wheel named after an axis. Didn"t know each other, yet coming up with common thread. Karen armstrong says that the first axial age was with confucius and thinkers and second axial age is with christianity and islam. Radical paradigm shift from egoism in the past to compassion. Confucius very interested in social good and altruism. Happy family will lead to happy neighbourhood, happy cities, happy countries, and then happy world.
