Islamic Civilization ２ ( Islam cosmopolitan progress)

Islam spreads in Southeast Asia through the prosperous trade in Fatima, Ayyubid Sultanate, and Mamluk Sultanate which made Cairo the base. Moslemization of the direction of India also progressed including Thurman simultaneously. It seems that this shows cosmopolitan Islam character. Cosmopolitan means the thought and philosophy in which people believes them  even if who will become a rule class. It seems that the universal essence will be in the point which was the civilization centering on the network of a simple religion and trade as the mosque and the market had stood. Although that the Arab race marched quickly has that the army corps of Arab was also sturdy, it may excel in utilizing and using the network of information.

 

Although the value in Islamic civilization had very strong influence, compared with India, Islamic civilization was cosmopolitan. For this reason, the character which allowed  change or innovation had the young vitality which accepted fusion rather at the beginning. It was because Sassanids Persia and the Byzantine Empire were farther  developed than an Arab race when said from a viewpoint of material civilization. Arrangement of the Koran, Hadith (Muhammad's memoir), etc. was advanced and the legitimacy of their political power was improved in the Umayyad Caliphate or a life at large was interpreted in Islam in the time of the Abbaid Caliphate, and get stiff. Apart from it, it was also the time when Mumluk, Sufi, and a merchant gained power.

 

It was rise of new influence and was the atmosphere similar to the Buddhism birth previous night of India. In Islamic civilization, not like birth of a new religion but like the appearance of the Shia and Sufi, the large frame did not break but religion carried out new change. Although the new influence (Sufi's bearer) which consisted of small tradesmen was these bearers, it seems whether since Islam was the small tradesman's religion from the first, it had the possibility of development as a stoic religion. there was the union "Mumluk (Turk slave soldier), a large merchant, and Sunni Muslims" at the center of the network in the Islamic civilization area, to it -- social structure power: -- it was the 3rd principle (principle of community development).

 

Persia Islamic civilization (the Iran Isram civilization) developed in Iran, became a citadel of the Shia and developed into Safaviddynasty. And India was located in the east. If it was Persia Islam *, the India civilization has also still cooperated, but in Aurangzeb's (Great Mogul) rigid Sunni Muslims , India was not able to get used at all. The Mongolia Empire which has developed on the basis of "a network of information and commerce" merely appeared suddenly in the meantime. Although a sect of the Mongolia Empire who ruined the Abbaid Caliphate became Il Khan, Islam was easily taken in after cataclysmic collapse. Kipchak Khan was also the same and so was Chaghatai Khan before the Timur empire at this point. Although semu of the Western Regions were appointed to a position of a trust for the "yuan" of China, as for the China civilization with a strong local color, Islam did not spread truly. Even if anybody was in the center of social structure, Islam functioned effectively . Islam was cosmopolitan.

 

 

Although the view which exists at the center affirms God, to God, it corresponds very briefly and it seems eternal prosperity was built focusing on the fighter, the merchant, and the critic supporting a religion norm.

 

* Prime-minister Bajram Hearn of the Shia educated and assisted the young Akbar (emperor of Mughal). 

 

This was marked contrast as compared with the medieval times of the Europe civilization. In Europe, it consisted of a fighter, a farmer, and a prayer, and the difference between a merchant and a farmer was because Islam had grasped naval supremacy. Probably, the difference between Islam and Europe was related to that the merchant has been gradually born from the farmer in Europe, that the fighter got interested in trade, a farmer, a merchant, and a fighter referring to reality, and they have come to have a question in the critic supporting a norm. That is, the merchant who was one of the main influence from the beginning of Islamic civilization might be that the point which was a parasitic existence was the difference from the Europe civilization. This may be a problem which hangs around Islamic civilization.

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Islamic Civilization 1 (image that the flows of the big rivers are put together )

second exhibition room    Islamic civilization

  

1 The flow of Islamic civilization

 

 Mesopotamian civilization, Egyptian civilization, Hyksos, Hittites, Babylonia,　Assyria, The 4 kingdoms ages, Achaemenes Persia,  Hellenism dynasties, Parthia, Byzantine Empire and Sassanids Persia, Umayyad Caliphate, Abbaid Caliphate, Buyid dynasty , Seljuq dynasty, Fatimid Caliphate, Ayyubid Sultanate, Mamluk Sultanate  Ilkhanate, Timurid empire, Ottoman Empire, Safavid dynasty and Qajar dynasty

 

 There is an image that the flows of the big rivers are put together in Islamic civilization. Mesopotamian civilization and Egyptian civilization were before Islamic civilization, and these brought unification called Assyria, Achaemenes Persia, Parthia, and Sassanids Persia through some divisions. And the appearance of Islam came in the 7th century. Islam was the influence which surfaced in confrontation of Sassanids Persia and the Byzantine Empire.

 

The times when the sense of values was created are Hyksos, Hittites, The 4 kingdom ages, and Hellenism dynasties. Probably, Assyria, Achaemenes, and the Sassanids Persia were completed times. Civilization to which invited the appearance of Islamic civilization based on such times, and Islamic civilization was new value built on the Byzantine Empire and Sassanids Persia which got tired with long time. It was the 1st principle (principle of value)and based on the value , social structure power: -- the 3rd principle (principle of community development) was formed.

 

It seems that the essence of worth of Islamic civilization will be in brief and lucid monotheism. If existence of God is one, the faith will also be lucid, it will be clean like a desert , and money will not be spent on a religious rite. Moreover, the human being who serves does not have a difference to one God, either, and it is equal. Even if it is different ethnic groups, jizya (poll tax) is not imposed to a believer,

 

It was a view of Islam. Such jizuya was a necessary evil when forming a community, since Islam has begun from the religious group (umma) centering on Muhammad.

 

Although the structure did not change in the Umayyad Caliphate but the first principle of Arab was taken, in the Abbaid Caliphate, jizuya to a believer came to be denied also in races other than an Arab. And the people from Persia came to occupy the bureaucrat of the Abbaid Caliphate.

 

Although primal Islamic civilization was so simple, the form where it developed became more complicated than the India civilization and the China civilization. It is because Islamic civilization followed the development as cosmopolitan civilization to the civilization of India and China having been comparatively local civilization. Since the religious and hierarchical side is strong in the India civilization, that is, control by religion and class is strong, there are a tendency for history to be dragged by it, and a tendency which is not settled unlike the China civilization. China is not religious and hierarchical to it. There is also a tendency which may be settled rapidly and become excessive (an avant-garde empire like Qin or Sui was materialized).

 

It seems to it that the religious side of Islamic civilization would be strong, and the hierarchical side would be weak. Although the Islamic civilization area was divided and the settlement was not carried out after the Abbaid Caliphate , the time of expanding as a whole had come.

 

A world empire called the Abbaid Caliphate came to division soon, turned into Buyid dynasty, Seljuq dynast, Fatimid Caliphate, Ayyubid Sultanate, Mamluk Sultanate, Saman, Ghazni, Safavid dynasty, Delhi Salta nut, and the Mogul Empire, and expanded in the various directions. And social-structure power: Mamluk, a Turkish slave had surfaced as a bearer of the 3rd principle (principle of community development). moreover, Iqta system * which Buyid dynasty started -- largely -- social structure power [ of Islamic society ]: -- it became a model as the 3rd principle (principle of community development).

 

* Iqta system   the system of giving territory with the right of collecting tax  instead of a military burden , however  periodical and with moving from there.  

 

European Civilization 16 ( Representative issues in European civilization: Freedom and society2)

When we think about it this way, the driving force behind European civilization is

 

     1. Freedom, democracy, aristocracy

5. Military
6. Women

 

As a relatively weak driving force,

 

2. Duality (Spirituality and Secularity)
3. Cosmopolitan and Knowledge
4. Cosmopolitanism and Industrialism
5. Duality and Separability

 

However, this is only relative, and even today, the European civilization, including America and Russia, has considerable power.

 

How should Japan deal with this? Due to its postwar historical background, Japan is on the periphery of the European civilization sphere and is under the influence of the liberal and capitalist United States.

If we include the long culture from before the war, there may be values similar to those of the core of European civilization. In other words, there is a national character that cannot be solved simply by the logic of marketism or capitalism, and there is also envy for American values. We have previously considered the content of the driving force that drives European civilization, but as Europe unites into the EU, and as the United States and Russia exert their influence on the EU, it may be possible that new forms will be given to freedom, democracy, and aristocracy. Freedom is the impact on the economy, equal opportunity based on the individual, and human capitalism, in other words, how we think about the "concept of freedom" in the EU or local era. "Democracy" is about the separation of powers and what kind of parliament we should make. "Aristocracy" may be related to how we deal with mass social phenomena, or how to thicken the middle class. These elements may be unique to Japan, but there is a high possibility that they will be born in the "laboratory" of world history that is the EU. However, in modern European civilization, "duality (spirituality and secularity)" and "duality and separation" are weaker than in past European civilizations, so it is unclear whether it will produce the same level of creativity as before, but it does seem that the current European mentality is gradually moving toward spirituality.

 

Next, regarding the military nature that is a characteristic of this civilization, Europe, even though it has fought so many wars, is more cautious and realistic about security than Japan. The EU will have its own military, and the United States and Russia may eventually join in. In other words, it will be preparing for Chinese, Indian and Islamic civilizations. In that case, it seems that Indian civilization is the one with which European civilization is most likely to link up. There is the issue of how to relate to Islamic civilization, and the question of whether Islamic civilization, the original cosmopolitan and network civilization, and its successor, the European civilization, can cooperate with each other. Islamic civilization is probably a civilization that knows the ins and outs of European civilization. In comparison, Indian and Chinese civilizations can be said to be local civilizations. Although they are both local, the reason why they are more likely to link up with Indian civilization rather than Chinese civilization is because, although European and Indian civilizations have similarities, Indian civilization is not a network civilization like Islamic civilization, and is also important geopolitically. Indian civilization is a barrier against Islamic civilization, and a barrier that can also serve as a check on the distant Chinese civilization. Therefore, it is highly likely that Islamic civilization and Chinese civilization will be linked as opposing axes, and even in the European civilization sphere, Russia may cooperate with China due to security issues in the Far East or issues in Central Asia, and may try to make China expand southward, so it may not be possible to simply group them together in the European civilization sphere. As a reaction: fourth principle (principle of reaction and internal principle), Russia may become Sinicized and Islamicized. For the same reason, it is possible that America will become Latinized as a reaction: fourth principle (principle of reaction and internal principle). In the case of America, it will not lose its European civilization, but the Anglo-Saxon elements may decrease.

 

Japan has been influenced by America in the course of history, and although it has a culture close to European civilization, it did not meet any of the seven elements of European civilization, so it is possible that the driving force behind Japan's history was something else. From now on, the influence of Chinese civilization will grow worldwide, while European civilization will unite with the EU, the US, and Russia, although there will be a reaction. This is what will maintain the hegemony of European civilization, but it seems that Japan would be better hanging on to it in a modest way. The same development will probably be seen in Indian civilization. However, perhaps European civilization, which is a cosmopolitan and networked civilization, and Islamic civilization are connected behind the scenes. If we think about it like that, the premise of our previous considerations will change. If this is the case, then cosmopolitan civilization will dominate local civilizations such as Chinese and Indian civilizations. And the trial and error in the EU may become a "model experiment toward a world government."

 

As for Japan, it may be best to basically maintain cooperation with the United States, place importance on India together with the United States, take a fair and fair approach to China and Russia, and remain neutral toward the Islamic civilization. As the center of the European civilization and an experiment in a new era, we may be able to expect an era of new ideas and an evolution of ideas from European civilization, but we cannot expect the same kind of progress as in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Therefore, the question for Japan is whether to coexist with European and Indian civilizations, or with European and Islamic civilizations. Japan may feel more comfortable in Europe and India than in the monotheistic and cosmopolitan Europe and Islam. 

                                                                                             

 

Finally, let's think about how European civilization can influence world civilization. Perhaps the only characteristic of European civilization is that it created the idea of "freedom." And when we think about where it originated, it seems to have been in Greek philosophy. Individual philosophy, democracy, and Greek classics, Greek philosophy also influenced Asia during the Hellenistic and Byzantine periods, where freedom did not blossom under despotism. Although the Roman Empire respected republicanism, it followed the path of despotism. Christianity also grew in this environment, but since Christianity first grew in what is now Turkey and Greece, it may have been Byzantium, or what is now Greek Orthodox, that was the strongest influence of original Christianity. European civilization (classical European civilization) was formed by Greek civilization, Christianity, and the invasion of Germanic tribes, and its characteristics are that it was created in a form different from despotism. First of all, it was not that individuals were free, but that society was free and separate, which was its characteristic. In this separation, the spiritual kingdom of Catholicism grew to the size of a national organization, and the importance of the spiritual was raised above other civilizations. The Renaissance was a reaction to this, but the Protestant Reformation was a religious aspect in which the importance of the spiritual in the individual shifted from the religious (divine) to the human, and this period overlapped with the infancy of the sovereign state. The idea of freedom emerged in this overlap (spiritual, social), reaching the natural rights of the individual, and the turning point for this was the various revolutions in England, but it was the American War of Independence that reached this point as an institution, not as an individual. It was liberation from Europe, and the reaction that influenced Europe was the French Revolution.

And after 1848, democracy and nationalism began to spread slowly throughout the world.

 

I mentioned "freedom" earlier as a characteristic of European civilization, and I think that the basis of this was "freedom of religion." This then became "freedom of worldview," and social issues arose as to how much of this could be guaranteed in communal living with others, but if we could not survive in the first place, we could not afford to talk about "freedom of worldview," so I think that social issues shifted their weight to this issue.

 

When we think about it in this way, we realize that the idea of "freedom" is a historical product of European civilization. What was originally freedom in the political sense evolved into freedom in the socio-economic sense during the transition from feudal society to capitalist society. This occurred at the same time as the establishment of sovereign states and the colonial rule of other regions by the central nations of European civilization.

 

In feudal society, there was relatively little idea of equality, but as the bourgeoisie took the lead and went through the civil revolution and the industrial revolution, the idea of equality in a social sense grew, which gave rise to socialism.This increase in equality was achieved through the masses' participation in the economy and war.

 

What kind of impact will these characteristics of European civilization have on world civilization? The core values of world civilization are already European, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, it has become clear that the idea of "freedom" is a more fundamental "value." On the other hand, the value of "equality" remains in the form of Chinese civilization and in European social democracy, but China's current situation cannot necessarily be called socialist, and the EU's situation also seems to be a reaction to liberalism and globalization of the economy.

 

The values that originated in European civilization - "liberty" and "social equality" - are likely to be influenced by the reactions of Islamic, Indian, and Chinese civilizations. However, it seems that we are entering a period in which the assumptions upon which the concepts of "liberty" and "social equality" have been established in European countries will be reexamined, and questions will be asked as to how they can be established in the context of a global civilization .

 

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European Civilization 15 ( Representative issues in European civilization: Freedom and society1 )

5. Representative issues in European civilization: Freedom and society

 

It may be said that there are four types of European civilization. One is the EU countries,This is the origin. America, Britain, Oceania, Russia, South America. Until recently, the European civilization was extremely powerful, and its influence extended to other civilizations. There are seven characteristics of European civilization: 1. Freedom, democracy, aristocracy, 2. Spirituality and secularity (dualism), 3. Cosmopolitanism and knowledge, 4. Cosmopolitanism and industrialism, 5. Military, 6. Duality and separation, 7. Women's power. How should Japan deal with this European civilization? Also, what are the problems facing modern European civilization, and what contributions can it make to world civilization in the future?

 

However, European civilization is still powerful, and there are various elements, and there are internal conflicts, but in the long term, if the Chinese and Indian civilizations become relatively powerful, the tendency to become one will increase. Conversely, North and South America may gradually lose the elements of European civilization. There is a possibility that they will follow the same process as the Seleucid Empire, a Greek state. In the case of North America, it will first become South Americanized (there may be an aspect of North America returning to its origins as a reaction to this - perhaps the Trump administration), but it will not leave the framework of the Christian civilization. However, America has a different environment from Europe, so it will be influenced by it. As a new continent, I think Oceania also has such an aspect.

 

Russia, on the other hand, will also be influenced by Central Asia and China. In this case, it will also be removed from the framework of the Christian civilization. As long as China aims to be a maritime nation, Russia, Central Asia and China can cooperate, but in the meantime, mutual dependence will increase, and Russia will become more dependent on China, which will remove it from the Christian civilization and eventually be psychologically eroded (which will be the beginning of China's influence expansion). China's strategy to the south seems to have meaning in the north as well. However, in response to such movements, Russia will pursue the framework of the former Soviet Union (Eurasia Concept) so as not to be eroded by Chinese civilization, but it is likely that it will eventually realize that its honeymoon with China is only buying time, and will steer toward the EU (and Indian civilization).

 

It depends on how the Ukraine issue and the Xinjiang issue are resolved, but the big flow is what the residents there want. Ukraine faces the EU (European civilization), and Xinjiang faces Islamic civilization, so if they can no longer be suppressed by force, they will have no choice but to follow the natural flow through conditioning. That way, Russia can protect its territory and culture, and it would be more beneficial for China to peacefully hand over Xinjiang to Islamic civilization. This is because, as we discussed in the section on Islamic civilization, Islamic civilization is likely to be linked to Chinese civilization. That is, unless European civilization and Islamic civilization are connected behind the scenes.

 

Over-expanded nations (America, Russia, China) may be eroded by the force of the fourth principle (reaction), as was the case with Britain after the war, and eventually their centripetal force may gather around the EU, the center of European civilization that was the mother of these nations. It seems that the groundwork for this is now being laid in Europe.

 

Now, are the elements that made Europe the mother of civilization (the mother of North and South America, Oceania, and Russia) still present in the present day?

 

1) Freedom, democracy, and aristocracy - these are the original values and are thought to remain to this day. It is a civilization that continues to have these cultures in a mature form.

 

2. Spirituality and secularity (dualism) - this unfortunately seems to have weakened. The sense of adventure in the intellectual world has also decreased (decline of spirituality). Because of the long period of material abundance, the energy for pursuit of it may not be as strong as in Asia (decline of secularity). Therefore, the driving force for the development of this civilization is inevitably weaker than that of China and India.

 

3. Cosmopolitanism and knowledge: Today's Europe is moving from cosmopolitanism to integration. Loose cosmopolitanism and division have given birth to competition and evolution, but modern European civilization seems to be moving from looseness to strong unity. This comes from the lessons learned from the loss of so much in the world war, but this may not be the image of the former European civilization that always gave birth to innovation. It may also be said that a situation without division is less beneficial for cosmopolitan merchants and capital who profit from differences.

 

4. Regarding being cosmopolitan and industrialist, European civilization is no longer the only capitalist civilization based on industrialism.

 

5. Regarding being militaristic, it seems that the values of European civilization have not changed much even after the end of the world wars.

 

6. Regarding dualism and separation, the competition of values that was the driving force of evolution, arising from the conflict between spirituality and secularity, seems to have become a stable competition based on "unity (monism) and separation" at present. This may be a competition of values with historical significance, just as sovereign states gradually emerged from alliances of feudal lords. Separability also seems to be inclined to be rejected due to the lessons of the world wars. At the same time, we are entering an era in which the uniqueness of various regions is emphasized rather than that of countries, but a certain degree of universality is also required, so the theme of unity and separation may be said to be more of an institutional rather than a value-based theme compared to the themes of Protestantism and Catholicism, absolute monarchy and civil revolution, and capitalism and socialism. In fact, the path from Protestantism to Catholicism, or from absolute monarchy to the civil revolution, was also the path from feudal territorial rule to sovereign states, and values and institutional theory were inseparably linked, but in the current situation where no new value theories have emerged regarding the EU, it may be thought that the EU is like France or Britain at a time of transition (transition to sovereign states), but the time has passed when the EU's value opponents were America or Russia, and they are now other civilizations. There may also be a view that one should try to forge one's own civilization through tension with other civilizations.

 

7. The power of women may also be a new power that has emerged in the human rights ideas of European civilization. There may be good and bad things about women, but it seems that there are many women who have made great achievements in European civilization.

 

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European Civilization 1４ ( Characteristics of Modern European Civilization ３ )

6. Duality (spiritual and secular), center and division

Dualism (spirituality and secularity) was a characteristic of European civilization. This phenomenon can be seen in other civilizations as well. In Islamic civilization, caliphs and sultans existed side by side, and in Japan, In the past, the emperor and the shogun stood side by side. They represented spirituality and secularity, respectively, but in European civilization, the Pope had physical power backed by monasteries. Yes, there were. In the Middle Ages, various religious orders of knights appeared and even exercised military power.

 

Of course, the background to this was the decentralized medieval society, and the Pope, a spiritual authority, reigned over it, but this phenomenon (a religious organization at the top of power) did not occur in religious Indian civilization, and the situation did not reach this level in Islamic civilization. The caliphs were protected by the sultans. European civilization was given its worldview by the church organization that controlled the secular world, and it can be said that it was a civilization that opened up a new era by breaking through this. This took the form of various worldviews (from humanism to religious views) proposed by individuals, and scientific thought was one of them. Rational judgments by individuals also appeared in religion, and there were constant conflicts against irrational societies such as Catholicism and Protestantism, feudalism and absolutism, absolutism and democracy, capitalism and socialism, and in times of peace there were competitions and frequent wars. These things were first discussed in the spiritual world of thought, which was adopted and developed, but it can be said that in European civilization, in addition to the expansion of the geographical world, the expansion of the intellectual world was a major characteristic.

 

I think that the problem of center and separation is also behind this phenomenon. As was the case in Islamic civilization, if the spiritual or secular authority of the center is too strong, the economy and culture will be blocked, whereas European civilization was somewhat pluralistic, with Britain, France, Germany, Austria, and Russia. The aforementioned constant dualistic conflict unfolded within such a pluralistic culture, and the diversity of its products was remarkable. The weak center (perhaps it was Britain, which tried to be a balancer) developed networks, and in terms of capital, the cosmopolitan world was beginning to emerge. After the complete shift of hegemony to America after World War II, colonialism, which was a cultural element of Europe, came to an end, and the center shifted to America and the Soviet Union. However, unlike the first half of European civilization (the period when European countries were at the center, which was like Greek civilization), this period seems to have been extremely strong in the power of the center and weak in the element of separation. Also, since the axis of conflict was simple in the second half of European civilization (the era of America and Russia), it seems that we did not see a diverse development unlike the first half of European civilization. (It may be said to be Roman civilization.)

 

7. The Power of Women

It may be said that the influence of women's power as a driving force in history is an unknown problem. There are regional differences in European civilization. However, one thing that is relatively common is that many women have appeared in European civilization throughout history. I think that Christianity has an influence, but the development of human rights ideas is also thought to be behind it. Europe has already had female prime ministers, and British Prime Minister Thatcher has become a great prime minister, and German Chancellor Merkel may also go down in history as the prime minister who wiped out Hitler's bad image and made Germany the most important country in Europe. Perhaps in the near future, the time will come when a woman will become president in the United States and Russia, and if that happens in Russia, something amazing may happen (like Catherine the Great, who confirmed Russia's westernization course, just like Peter the Great).

 

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