CDZ Are Some Cultures Better Than Others?

[Asclepias]

actually, the point is that your judgment is subjective so your judgment that one culture (your own in your opinion...meaning white christian culture) is superior than others.

which is laughable bigotry

Tell me all about the hallmarks of a free Islamic society. How would you define traditional Islamic openness to accepting foreign cultures?

I thought you said everyone thinks western culture is superior? You do realize people that practice Islam are part of everybody dont you?

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

 

[Liminal]

Tell me all about the hallmarks of a free Islamic society. How would you define traditional Islamic openness to accepting foreign cultures?

I thought you said everyone thinks western culture is superior? You do realize people that practice Islam are part of everybody dont you?

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

Fortunate for the Moors that they had the Byzantines to preserve all that knowledge for them.

 

[320 Years of History]

Do our western traditions of open discussion and acceptance of new and different ideas create the conditions for successful societies? Are the virtues and attributes of western culture inherently superior to others?

Red:
Yes. In answering "yes," however, I do not mean to assert or imply that differing traits found in other cultures cannot accomplish the same outcome.

Blue:
Some of them are; some of them are not. The same is so with regard to the virtues and attributes of non-Western cultures. The isolated evaluation of any single trait in comparison to/with its polar opposite can inform one as goes those two traits, but not as goes an entire culture. The superiority of entire cultures can only be evaluated in terms of superiority vis a vis its endurance, not its state of existence at any given instant.

Moreover, at any given instant, comparative evaluations of cultures suffer from momentary compatibility bias. For example, when Roman culture was the dominant one on the planet, was it objectively or inherently better than, say, Chinese culture of the same period? It almost certainly seemed that way to Romans and Roman aspirants, yet today we have only vestiges of Roman culture whereas much of the core of Chinese culture endures. Thus, with the benefit of hindsight, it's obvious that for whatever the Romans felt made them better, it obviously didn't make them "better enough" to survive to the present largely intact as a single culture.

The Chinese, of course, are not the only culture on the planet to have outlasted the Roman culture. Aboriginal Australians by a lot predate even the Chinese, for example. They may not leap first to your mind when you think of cultures that have endured, but here they are some 70K+ years since their beginning. They aren't the dominant/controlling political group on the planet, but clearly a culture need not be that to persist intact.

Hopefully you'll glean from the preceding that it really is just hubristic cultural myopia that leads members of a momentarily dominant culture to fathom theirs is superior to others. As goes what emerged coming out of the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment to form what we today call Western Culture has a long way to go before it can make any sort of claims to cultural superiority, most especially in comparison to Islamic, Chinese, Indian, Australian Aboriginal, and a host of other less widely spread cultures.

One trait that current Western Culture has that it shared with the Roman culture is its innate ability to absorb elements of other cultures. Whether, like Roman culture, current Western culture reaches a point at which it no longer can meld with competing cultures and sees itself in an "us or them" position, rather than an "us with them" position, remains to be seen. What is not uncertain is that if we cannot, we likely will, like the Romans last for quite a while, but not for as long as humanity, human culture, exists on Earth, that is, unless Western culture catalyzes and contributes to the end of human culture as we know it.

 

[Asclepias]

I thought you said everyone thinks western culture is superior? You do realize people that practice Islam are part of everybody dont you?

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

Fortunate for the Moors that they had the Byzantines to preserve all that knowledge for them.

I'd say it was fortunate for the Greeks, Moors, Byzantines, and western culture the Egyptians in Africa educated the Greeks.

 

[Liminal]

Tell me all about the hallmarks of a free Islamic society. How would you define traditional Islamic openness to accepting foreign cultures?

I thought you said everyone thinks western culture is superior? You do realize people that practice Islam are part of everybody dont you?

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

Youre being subjective again. You claimed evidence. I want to see it. I will let you know if i deem them acceptable.

The authors I'm most familiar with were describing history contemporary to their times. I've read the complete works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Suetonius, Tacitus, Xenophon, Caesar, Homer, Cicero, and Livy. Feel free to name the distinguished documentarians of other cultures two thousand years ago. Unless third hand revisionism is all you know.

 

[Liminal]

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

Fortunate for the Moors that they had the Byzantines to preserve all that knowledge for them.

I'd say it was fortunate for the Greeks, Moors, Byzantines, and western culture the Egyptians in Africa educated the Greeks.

Ancient Egypt is obviously an important part of western traditions.

 

[Asclepias]

I thought you said everyone thinks western culture is superior? You do realize people that practice Islam are part of everybody dont you?

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

Youre being subjective again. You claimed evidence. I want to see it. I will let you know if i deem them acceptable.

The authors I'm most familiar with were describing history contemporary to their times. I've read the complete works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Suetonius, Tacitus, Xenophon, Caesar, Homer, Cicero, and Livy. Feel free to name the distinguished documentarians of other cultures two thousand years ago. Unless third hand revisionism is all you know.

Obviously you havent read Herodotus. If you had you would have known he wasnt famous until after he returned from Egypt and learned from that culture. I need non western sources. Stop stalling.

 

[Asclepias]

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

Fortunate for the Moors that they had the Byzantines to preserve all that knowledge for them.

I'd say it was fortunate for the Greeks, Moors, Byzantines, and western culture the Egyptians in Africa educated the Greeks.

Ancient Egypt is obviously an important part of western traditions.

Of course it is. However, Egyptian culture was borrowed from heavily to help create western culture.

 

[Liminal]

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

How do you deal with the irony that without the Islamic faith western culture wouldnt even exist? You do realize it was the Moors that reeducated europeans to the teachings of the Greeks right?

Fortunate for the Moors that they had the Byzantines to preserve all that knowledge for them.

I'd say it was fortunate for the Greeks, Moors, Byzantines, and western culture the Egyptians in Africa educated the Greeks.

Ancient Egypt is obviously an important part of western traditions.

Of course it is. However, Egyptian culture was borrowed from heavily to help create western culture.

Just so you understand, I don't believe there are any racial components here that determine the success or relative failure of any culture. It's all an accident of history.

 

[Unkotare]

Do our western traditions of open discussion and acceptance of new and different ideas ....

Our 'what'....? Have you ever taken a gander at Western history?

I'm sure your History Channel level of analysis is very compelling.

Guess again.

Discovery Channel? Maybe BRAVO.......

Strike two and three, champ.

Care to try again?

 

[Liminal]

Tonto diction bad. You talk Kemosabe, him teach.

I have you running on your own thread. You dont have to resort to nonsensical posts when faced with your faulty logic.

OK professor, let's have some examples of the kind of eminent scholars you deem acceptable from a politically correct racist viewpoint.

Youre being subjective again. You claimed evidence. I want to see it. I will let you know if i deem them acceptable.

The authors I'm most familiar with were describing history contemporary to their times. I've read the complete works of Herodotus, Thucydides, Plutarch, Suetonius, Tacitus, Xenophon, Caesar, Homer, Cicero, and Livy. Feel free to name the distinguished documentarians of other cultures two thousand years ago. Unless third hand revisionism is all you know.

Obviously you havent read Herodotus. If you had you would have known he wasnt famous until after he returned from Egypt and learned from that culture. I need non western sources. Stop stalling.

Greeks and Egyptians had a long history of trade relations by the time of Herodotus visit. It wasn't like going to another planet.

 

[Liminal]

Our 'what'....? Have you ever taken a gander at Western history?

I'm sure your History Channel level of analysis is very compelling.

Guess again.

Discovery Channel? Maybe BRAVO.......

Strike two and three, champ.

Care to try again?

I guessed three times already. Does this mean I get 17 more?

 

[Unkotare]

I'm sure your History Channel level of analysis is very compelling.

Guess again.

Discovery Channel? Maybe BRAVO.......

Strike two and three, champ.

Care to try again?

I guessed three times already. Does this mean I get 17 more?

Take another AB.

 

[320 Years of History]

 

[2aguy]

Do our western traditions of open discussion and acceptance of new and different ideas create the conditions for successful societies? Are the virtues and attributes of western culture inherently superior to others?

Yes..some cultures are better. Ours is one of the best.......until the left started getting power....

 

[2aguy]

There is no western tradition of acceptance of new and different ideas. Where did you get the idea that there was such a tradition? BTW to answer your question...no. Your culture is great if it achieves the goals you want. Those goals are different for each culture.

Western tradition toppled the Kings. Re-established democracy for the first time in 2,000 years. Those were new and different ideas, as were the discovery of vaccinations, atoms, etc. Yes, it took awhile for the old guard to accept the new ideas, but contrast that with China, where written language was kept as a state secret for centuries. I believe the OP is asking if this makes us "the greatest."
I say no. We have had some great ideas and great achievements, but so have other cultures. One doesn't have to play King of the Hill; it's a big planet.

I dont understand how that was new or different or that they were the first to reestablished democracy? The got the idea of democracy from the Iroquois nation (already in practice) and the greeks. Western culture was also not the first to discover vaccines or discover the atom. Those discoveries were made long ago and many times before.

I got the feeling the OP wanted to establish that western culture was open to new ideas as a tradition when the facts are that its no more open to new ideas than other cultures.

No...they did not get the idea for democracy from the Iroquois...that is one of those stupid, left wing myths and lies........the Foumders were steeped in western history and philosophy.........and did not look to Stone Age primitives for the ideas for government.....

 

[Elvis Obama]

Nothing was bothering me. I was just wondering where you got the idea western culture was responsible for democracy or even the first to practice it after the Greeks. Lots of cultures accept change and openly discuss new and different ideas. I'm glad you brought up slavery because that kind of throws a monkey wrench in the whole democracy thing. The idea that slavery was an outdated tradition was tied to status and world power. It was not altruistic in the slightest. It was a necessary step in achieving world dominance. One could argue that it wasnt western culture but a hodge podge of other cultures that caused science to flourish.and build upon concepts already given to western culture by other other cultures. I dont take exception at the OP or you. I just know you are speaking from indoctrination.

Indoctrination? Oh I see, ordinary folks can't possibly view the world from your enlightened perspective.....you see through all that propaganda.

who says you're ordinary? or the norm?

This entire thread appears to be the logical fallacy of false presumption.

Seriously? You see no social development in the entire history of humanity? That's bizarre to me. The social evolution of the human race has been measured by the empowerment of the individual. The movement of power from the top. We have evolved from thinking leaders were gods to believing they ruled by divine right, to the Magna Carta, where the king was forced to share power, to the modern developments of the free press, which has lead to Gandhi and King and Biko and Walesa, putting true power into the hands of ordinary people.

Of course there is social development though I disagree with your conflicting examples. Where did I say different? The false presumption of the thread comes in when one use the logical fallacy that some cultures are better than others. The whole thing rests on amusing belief that one culture can decide what is superior and what is not.

A very confusing reply. Cultures develop but that development is irrelevant? All cultures do is decide what is superior and what is not. That's how they develop. Do you think North Korea has a bright and vibrant culture? They don't. How about Russia? What was the Arab Spring except yet another example of cultures yearning for what we have in the West?

The Enlightenment started in Europe, but they didn't adopt the principles developed by those philosophers until we showed them the way. Then they did. Why? Because the idea of a nation built on the principle of a social contract was clearly better. An important evolutionary step forward. One which I have no problem labeling as superior.

 

[skye]

yes...sure...some cultures are more fun than others....

I am not saying better or worse than others...

but more fun...more interesting ....you know!

 

[320 Years of History]

yes...sure...some cultures are more fun than others....

I am not saying better or worse than others...

but more fun...more interesting ....you know!

More fun in which to immerse oneself, intellectually or recreationally, sure. I can agree with that. More interesting? Probably can't agree with that as an abstraction, but with regard to what I personally find more interesting and less interesting, sure, okay.

 

[Liminal]

"Better" meaning in comparison with other cultures. Islamic Arab culture, for example, is clearly inferior to Western Civilization. How many books are published in predominantly Islamic nations? Any idea about that?

Why do you think the number of books published defines what is better?

Simply an indicator of which culture is more open to new ideas and differing opinions.

again, if you're discounting those other cultures and ideas then you are not indicative of being open to new ideas and differing opinions... which is where we started this exercise....

and you are still missing the irony

The real irony is that some people evidently believe they have objective opinions.

actually, the point is that your judgment is subjective so your judgment that one culture (your own in your opinion...meaning white christian culture) is superior than others.

which is laughable bigotry

I'll bet you're a Clinton supporter. They've been real busy lately trying to imply that Bernie Sanders is somehow tacitly racist. Sounds familiar to you.....doesn't it.