European Civilization 10 ( Characteristics of European Civilization 1 )

3. Characteristics of European Civilization

 

European civilization seems to be more similar to Islamic civilization than Chinese or Indian civilization. It is cosmopolitan and networked. The original form of European civilization was created in the 9th century during the time of Charlemagne, when the currents originating from Greece and Rome, the currents originating from Eastern Christianity, and the currents originating from Germanic culture merged. After that, it formed a military culture and a hierarchical culture (similar to India in this respect) while being attacked by foreign tribes many times, and while being subjected to external forces from Islam, it absorbed the seeds of science and a cosmopolitan and networked culture from Islam, and eventually overtook Islamic civilization. At the end of the line, there was a scientific and commercial nation, and it reached the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was an opportunity to give the power of efficiency: the second principle (principle of improving living standards) more power than the power of social structure: the third principle (principle of community development).

 

To name a few features:

 

1. Germanic elements (assembly and aristocracy) were thought to be strong. Compared to Islamic and other civilizations, Europe had less of a monarchical and autocratic element. Although bilateralism also had elements of Roman law, compared to the later development of Byzantium, the European civilization created a social structure that was the premise of the agricultural revolution (for example, three-field agriculture: a structure in which each member of a village had a role), and repeated invasions by foreign tribes created contracts for feudal lords to obtain security. In addition, although democracy and aristocracy later became a conflict, the aspect of personal rule by the aristocracy remained strong , so it cannot be said to be simply contractual. The way village members were organized is similar to the Indian caste system in some ways, but while Indian civilization ranked people by purity, Europe does not seem to have ranked members of the same class. This kind of ranking can be seen in Japan, although on a smaller scale, with the four classes of samurai, farmers, artisans, and merchants. This is thought to be for the purpose of dividing and governing, but in medieval Europe, people were divided into those who fought, those who prayed, and those who cultivated. The detailed hierarchy of those who fought and those who prayed was complicated (aristocratic elements), but no detailed hierarchy was created for those who cultivated. This made it easy for society to become fluid, and as agricultural productivity improved, markets (the birth of merchants) were established, trade arose, cities were established, and freedom rights in cities were asserted. The loose hierarchy and democratic nature of the peasant class led to the establishment of markets and cities , but one of the characteristics of European civilization may be that freedom was asserted through groups and networks. Islamic civilization is also powerful in terms of less hierarchy and equality, but Islamic civilization started from commerce rather than agriculture, and its approach to freedom may have been different from that of Europe. The important concept for European civilization is freedom, and this eventually led those who cultivated through productivity over those who fought and prayed  .

 

2. The dualism of spirituality and secularity is related to the Christian aspect. Although Christian civilization came to be through Greek and Roman civilization, the original flow of Christian orthodoxy seems to have been in the Eastern Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. Christianity first gained its foundation in Greece, spread to the Roman Empire, and became the state religion, and Constantinople can be said to have been its center. However, Christianity gained great authority as an independent spiritual force when Rome, which had become a frontier in the 4th century, began to assert its authority in a place other than secular power. The Church remained a force because it had administrative power over the people's lives against the Germanic invasion, and the Germanic people used the Church. Monasteries were also the main driving force for land reclamation, and the monastic movement defeated secular power in the investiture movement, and an era came when the Pope was above secular power (although there were times when it was a decentralized era), but the major characteristic of European civilization was that spirituality came to the top, and this constituted the world view. You might think that these characteristics are similar to the phenomenon that gave rise to the Brahmins in the Gupta Dynasty in India and the Sufis in the Abbasid Dynasty in Islamic civilization*, but in European civilization, this phenomenon led to the Enlightenment through the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation, and led not only to the exploration of the spatial world but also to the exploration of various spiritual intellectual worlds. It was this scientific intellect that became the driving force behind the rapid advancement of European civilization.

 

* Perhaps behind these phenomena lies a desire for freedom from rigid systems.

 

3. Cosmopolitan and networked. These aspects were probably learned from Islamic civilization (Mamluks, Umayyads)*, and there were forces that expanded commerce by taking advantage of the situation of weakened religious authority and separated secular power. At first, agricultural production expanded and cities emerged in medieval Europe, constrained by the external force of Islamic civilization: the fifth principle (environmental principle and external principle), but gradually a cosmopolitan and networked society was established in medieval Europe on top of these. These cosmopolitan forces formed hegemonic structures (Fugger, Medec, Rothschild) in each era in Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and England.

 

*When talking about what was transferred from Islamic civilization to European civilization, academic knowledge is often mentioned, but how was trade know-how transferred? It was probably accumulated through Venice and other places during the course of several Crusades (including Byzantium).

 

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European Civilization 9 ( recall the five principles )

Let us now recall the five principles.

(1) First Principle (Principle of Value): Value is a function of time, (2) Second Principle (Principle of Improving Living Standards): Efficiency is a function of value, (3) Third Principle (Principle of Community) (4) Fourth Principle (Principle of Reaction and Internal Principle): Reaction forces are a function of values; (5) Fifth Principle (Principle of Environment and External Principle): Principle: The first four forces are influenced by the environment or external forces.

 

What made European civilization different from other civilizations? I think it can be said that Europe was unique from other civilizations in that the spiritual and the secular were dualized, that is, in terms of values. Medieval European civilization is similar to Indian civilization in that the clergy influenced administration. It is also similar in that ancient cultures were restored in new forms. Although they are different eras, it could be said that the reason the two developed differently was because of different religious values. European civilization attacked Islamic civilization, and Islamic civilization attacked Indian civilization. What made European civilization aggressive was the growth of cities, commerce, and trade, and this secular way of looking at things is probably closely related to the birth of scientific thought in the form of skepticism of the authority of spirituality. After the Renaissance, European values went through Da Vinci and Galileo to Newton, and they were not limited to conquering the geographical world, but also conquered various genres of the intellectual world. They did so with the methodology of the scientific spirit. One part of that intellectual world is various technologies, and it can be said that it is the power of efficiency: the second principle (the principle of improving life). Another intellectual world is the political world, where democracy can be described as a form of social structural power: the power of the third principle (the principle of community development).

In other words, the value of European civilization was something that was opposed to historical religion and the conquest of the entire intellectual world (not just spatial) through the methodology of the scientific spirit.

 

And so the idea of reaction force: the fourth principle (principle of reaction and internal principle) emerges. Why did European civilization, which could be said to be the epitome of the scientific spirit, collapse in an irrational way? The reaction force is the idea that when a force is applied, a force that tries to return to the original state also occurs, but where did European civilization try to return to? This can be seen from what the British Empire lost. Religion and aristocracy, which had long been the mainstay of European civilization's values, had finished their roles, and it is thought that some kind of force was at work to return to those positions. The colonies held by imperialist nations, mainly Britain, were a burden to the industrial world, but they were meaningful as investment destinations and in providing social status, and the vanguard that went into the colonies were often missionaries and children of clergy. The background to this was the "ethical conviction" mentioned earlier.

 

America rejected colonies and restructured the world in a way that favored the industrial sector. The Soviet Union was the same in this respect, but the Soviet Union had already rejected the nobility and religion after the Russian Revolution. America did not originally have an aristocracy (although there was racism), and religion was relatively free. World War I and World War II were wars between the rising military state of Germany (whose officers were also aristocrats: Junkers) and the declining British vested interest class (also aristocrats: gentlemen), and it could be said that both Britain and Germany lost and America (the financial class, not the aristocracy) won. Up until this point, it does not seem that any decisive external forces had been exerted on European civilization . European civilization (Europe, America, Russia) of this era had overwhelming power. And it was maintained during the Cold War, but in the process of diversification, European civilization shrank relatively. The collapse of the Soviet Union could also be said to be one of the shrinking of European civilization. The phenomenon of American unipolar dominance is also in a difficult situation after the Lehman Shock.

 

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European Civilization 8 ( Technology came to define politics and society )

The Industrial Revolution was started by people (human capital) who had low social status but were carriers of a new religion (or a scientific spirit) and found themselves in a state of freedom, so to speak, when their path to promotion was blocked within the existing social structure.* This was established by the systematic accumulation of success stories that happened to occur. There are many meanings to "chance," and it probably occurred in 18th century England because of improved agricultural productivity, things people wanted to make, resources, markets, and cheap capital.

 

*The Industrial Revolution occurred in 18th century Britain, where people were free to do their activities in areas other than those of vested interests. The entry of many people with new religions and new values into this world, and the many problems that needed to be solved at that time, are thought to have been the causes of the British Industrial Revolution. However, it may be important to note that many of the people who achieved this were Scottish. The trigger was neither London nor Oxford Bridge* (Industrial Revolution: Ashton).

 

 

And when cosmopolitan elements (financial elements) were added to the rooftop of this industrial capital, European civilization was born, a civilization that became more universal and more influential than Islamic civilization.

 

The Industrial Revolution ended the era in which history was driven by innovation, the "power of social structure: the power of the third principle (the principle of community development)," and placed the "power of efficiency: the power of the second principle (the principle of improving living standards)" at the forefront of historical change. This is best illustrated by the fact that the destructive power of nuclear weapons, a symbol of power, almost ended world wars, and that information technology and transportation technology have powerfully deepened global interdependence, turning the world into one playhouse (the Globe Theatre*).

*The Globe Theatre: The name of the theatre in London where Shakespeare presided.

 

3. Simple sketch based on 5 principles

 Before the Industrial Revolution, the main force that triggered historical change was the force of social structure: the third principle (principle of community development). Therefore, military and politics drove history. The reason why Islamic civilization and the Mongol Empire grew so rapidly was probably because of their fighting capabilities and excellent governing organizations. However, the Industrial Revolution drastically changed that. Of course, the expansion of agricultural productivity and the progress of urbanization in medieval Europe also had some influence on efficiency (the 12th century Renaissance in Europe). In addition, in the case of European civilization (11th to 12th centuries), the cultivation of monasteries expanded farmland, and the monastic movement and the investiture movement increased the authority of the Pope, leading to a coexistence of the spiritual and the secular in a form in which the spiritual was prominent, or rather, in which the spiritual was dominant (also in the 11th to 12th centuries). However, the Crusades did not overwhelm Islamic civilization, and even the discovery of new sea routes by Spain and Portugal did not immediately overwhelm Islamic civilization. During the time of Charles V (16th century), the Ottoman Turks besieged Vienna (1529), and at that time Islamic civilization was at its peak with the Ottoman Turks, the Safavid Dynasty, and the Mughal Empire. After that, the Netherlands and England advanced into the world, but they cleverly used local power, and this was the result of organizations such as the East India Company, and the power of social structure: the third principle (principle of community development).

 

This completely changed with the mechanization of weapons and transportation and the formation of an industrial society capable of mass-producing them, the final symbolic result of which was the emergence of nuclear weapons. Technology came to define politics and society. However, this technology was also surpassed by other technologies, and in the nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union, both countries fell into a tailspin due to their reliance on nuclear weapons. The United States regained technological superiority by utilizing the information industry that had grown during military development. The technology created by the economy and industry is the most important thing, and the power of efficiency: the second principle (the principle of improving living standards) remains the most important power, but the ability to quickly and appropriately discover and disseminate technology that is appropriate for the times has become desirable for civilizations and nations.

 

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European Civilization 7 (After the collapse of the Soviet Union)

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 marked the beginning of a change to a new world order, and at this point the United States was being overtaken economically by Japan and Germany, but due to the issue of Germany's integration with East Germany, Japan was often the one to bear the brunt of the criticism. However, the Plaza Accord (a sudden doubling of the yen's appreciation) shifted the wealth accumulated in Japan to Southeast Asia, laying the foundations for the East Asian economic zone. This will probably continue with the EU European economic zone, the North American economic zone, and the Middle Eastern and Indian economic zones that are about to be formed, but when we consider what has happened in the United States and what has happened in Japan as a whole, we can see that globalization is based on the freedom of capital and trade, and aims to make the most of the idea of comparative advantage and to efficiently utilize the world's resources , but it seems that we also need to accept the diversity of civilizations and cultures to a certain extent. However, this is what the internationalists (pluralists) in the United States think, and in terms of practical benefits, British capital has special interests mainly in the Middle East and South Asia (Indian Ocean Rim), and this may be the breeding ground for various troubles.

 

Although we are still in the process of getting there, the new world order is a pluralistic economy, a world in which each economic sphere is managed by a small minority, and we could say that the international society is a pluralistic global oligarchy (the educated wealthy of each country governs). We have looked at this through the United States, but there is another phenomenon called the EU. This was formed with the help of an external force, the threat of the Soviet Union: the fifth principle (environmental principle and external principle), as Germany, France, and other European countries, which had fallen into decline, sought efficient ways to recover after the results of World War II. This movement is also an example of multipolarization, and can be said to be a precedent and an experimental attempt.

 

European civilization is facing the weakening of the British factor, the stagnation of the EU factor, and the external force: the fifth principle (environmental and external principles), Russia, which was the force of the Soviet Union's unfortunate youth and is now entering middle age with its dreams shattered, and America, after its golden age, may be entering a lonely old age.* However, European civilization had the power to purify problems that other civilizations did not have, so it may be worth paying attention to what new values: the first principle (principle of value) it will have in the future, and what kind of efficiency: the second principle (principle of improving living standards) and social structure: the third principle (principle of community development) it will exert based on them.

 

*The situation of each nation is likened to a human being, and is referred to as the youth, middle age, and old age periods. However, in many cases, this also includes the child generation, so it is possible that middle age (parent civilization) and childhood (child civilization) may coexist in the same era, or that old age (parent civilization) and youth (child civilization) may coexist in the same era.

 

Next, let's consider the cosmopolitan nature of European civilization. We mentioned cosmopolitanism earlier as a similarity to Islamic civilization, and explained in the section on Islamic civilization that a cosmopolitan civilization is "a civilization with weak central values, with separate secular states that are connected by a network." It seems that Jews and Christians also lived and worked in the Mamluk dynasty and Ottoman Turkey, which connected Islamic civilization with Italy, and it is likely that this kind of thinking existed before European civilization and was transferred from there. The Mamluk dynasty's trade know-how was passed on to Italian cities, and then to Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, and England. In the first place, this way of thinking was not a purely European way of thinking, but rather spread through the Mediterranean and trade routes.

 

 On the other hand, the Industrial Revolution was not necessarily the fruition of a cosmopolitan civilization. Science was thriving in the Islamic world as well, but it did not reach that level, and China (the Ming Dynasty) had the potential to achieve it, but it did not achieve it. The Industrial Revolution was probably initially a local phenomenon, taking place in 18th century England.

 

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