- Joined
- Jun 14, 2018
The study of history can be argued to be the study of the rise, internal transformation, peaking, and/or decline and fall of basic civilizational frameworks (or "civilizations", for short) and their peripheries.
A civilizational framework isn't the same thing as a society, culture, or way of life, it instead informs how societies, cultures, and lifestyles are developed and "run". A civilizational order can include multiple different "daughter" civilizations within itself, all coming from the same source. Some of these same "daughter civilizations" may become civilizational frameworks in their own right given enough time and accumulated greatness.
Civilizational orders can, of course, interact, merge with, and even absorb/override other civilizational orders.
A good example of a civilization would be Romania (here meaning Roman civilization from the founding of Rome to the end of the Byzantine Empire). Romania's peripheries would include be the cultures and societies of the Southern Slavic states and Albania, who owe much of their way of life to the Eastern Roman Empire in particular. The primary daughter civilization of Romania would be Francia (more on that later).
Another good example of a civilizational order would be China. China's peripheries include Korea, and Japan, who owe even more of their own idiosyncratic cultures to China. Tibet and Southeast Asia are "squeezed between" the Indian and Chinese civilizations. Mongolia is mainly its own thing.
Yet another prime example of a civilizational order would be Francia (a civilization born of Romania), including within itself the civilizations of West Francia (France proper), East Francia (Germany, or Germania), and Middle Francia (Italy, or Italia). Francia's peripheries would include Britannia, Hispania (here meaning the collective society of the Iberian peninsula), and the West Slavic states.
Other civilizational frameworks include Islam, Russia, Turkia, India, Egypt, Nova Hispania (basically meaning Latin America), and America.
What I'm thinking of is how our modern, current civilizational frameworks, such as America and modern Francia, will change in the future. Will some decline and collapse? Will some revive and rejuvinate themselves? Will some radically transform to fit new circumstances? This, and others, are important questions to ponder about as we move into the 2020s.
A civilizational framework isn't the same thing as a society, culture, or way of life, it instead informs how societies, cultures, and lifestyles are developed and "run". A civilizational order can include multiple different "daughter" civilizations within itself, all coming from the same source. Some of these same "daughter civilizations" may become civilizational frameworks in their own right given enough time and accumulated greatness.
Civilizational orders can, of course, interact, merge with, and even absorb/override other civilizational orders.
A good example of a civilization would be Romania (here meaning Roman civilization from the founding of Rome to the end of the Byzantine Empire). Romania's peripheries would include be the cultures and societies of the Southern Slavic states and Albania, who owe much of their way of life to the Eastern Roman Empire in particular. The primary daughter civilization of Romania would be Francia (more on that later).
Another good example of a civilizational order would be China. China's peripheries include Korea, and Japan, who owe even more of their own idiosyncratic cultures to China. Tibet and Southeast Asia are "squeezed between" the Indian and Chinese civilizations. Mongolia is mainly its own thing.
Yet another prime example of a civilizational order would be Francia (a civilization born of Romania), including within itself the civilizations of West Francia (France proper), East Francia (Germany, or Germania), and Middle Francia (Italy, or Italia). Francia's peripheries would include Britannia, Hispania (here meaning the collective society of the Iberian peninsula), and the West Slavic states.
Other civilizational frameworks include Islam, Russia, Turkia, India, Egypt, Nova Hispania (basically meaning Latin America), and America.
What I'm thinking of is how our modern, current civilizational frameworks, such as America and modern Francia, will change in the future. Will some decline and collapse? Will some revive and rejuvinate themselves? Will some radically transform to fit new circumstances? This, and others, are important questions to ponder about as we move into the 2020s.
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