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Originally Posted by The_Jazz
Pre-Columbia is a very definite time period - it ended in November, 1492.
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"The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences on the American continents, spanning the time of the original settlement in the Upper Paleolithic period to European colonization during the Early Modern period."
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Jazz
trying to compare modern Western civilization and pre-Columbian cultures?
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No, trying to compare indigenous american cultures at the time of european colonialism in america.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Jazz
The Europeans weren't trying to "be better". They were trying to turn a profit by cutting out the Arabs in the spice trade with Eastern Asia.
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"be better" might have been a bit sloppy. But, since you seem to be so into your semantics, they were trying to be better than the arabs were they not?
Oh and by the way, they weren't arabs, they were turks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Jazz
I see only one cultural trait present - greed. And that was certainly not unique to Europe or even in short supply elsewhere in the world.
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Well then you fall short, as
something enabled european colonialism and disabled it to all others.
Something isn't a good enough answer for most people. Utilitarian ethics tries to explain that something.