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Originally posted by Kostya
Well then, this leads us into the question of whether something is due to its nominal attatchments or is independent of them.
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Let's pick an example.
As I understand it, the Crusades were less about religion than about economics. No, I can't use that as I don't have the time to do the research.
Maybe you'd be better off picking one?
See, you're way ahead of me!
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The KKK were group which operated on the basis of 'race'. Now, unfortunately for Bubba & co., 'race' is quite simply a biological myth.
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I'm right there with you. If we can interbreed, we're the same race/species. The way they use (note current tense) the word has more to do with Hitler than with biology, though. They use it as a way to denote a scape goat group. And even Hitler wasn't making that up out of whole cloth. That anti-Jewish stuff has been endemic in Europe for a very long time, as in many centuries, more than 10 certainly.
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Either way we're not really disagreeing with each other except in the most superficial way.
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In one sense we're arguing semantics, true. In another, we're agreeing very vehemently.
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Well that's one way of looking at it.
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It's another way of saying the same thing you did, I believe.
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No but what does prevent me is time and energy both of which I have very little at the moment. I applaud your recognition of the complexities however.
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I've done
some reading, just not what I'd call "enough".
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Well then I must ask you, what is the true nature of 'honour' then?
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You want a
definitive answer to that?? I could answer this in several ways, but you and other will be able to pick them apart, no problem. It can easily turn into another semantic exercise.
Honor is what you know about yourself. Reputation is what others know about you.
Lois Bujold, Memory
That's as good a place to start as any. Arab culture confuses the two concepts of "honor" and "reputation", among other things. It's been a while since I read
The Closed Circle, and I've not finished it yet.
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Your mention of memes leads me to believe you have at least some familiarity with evoltionary theories of history, surely then you would agree that cultural values can only be really avaluated within the physical and social context in which they occur.
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Whoa, you're assuming too much. I speak of memes as concepts. You'll note that my comment to what you labeled as "evolutionary theory" of history was just to agree that Moslems didn't seem to have kept up. That is, they hadn't maintained their advantage. They were advanced in medicine, sanitation (IIRC), navigation, and other issues, but they lost the advantage this gave them when they were overrun by the (Christian) barbarians.
Exactly why the "Christians" did this is unclear to me, but I suspect it is related to the thesis I wanted to use as an example.