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Jan 1, 624
Philosophy: Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of how we think and require knowledge. It is how we determine if things are true or false. Without epistemology, we would have no reason to believe that our thoughts were productive or correct. This concept follows from when philosophy began due to that it is the theory of questioning thought. I think this is important because it explains why it is necessary to think and question things. Without questioning, nothing will change or improve in the world. -
Period: Jan 1, 1095 to Jan 1, 1099
History: The First Crusade
The First Crusade was when Christians in Europe united to defeat the "Turkish threat" to their religion and peoples. The Christians banded together and marched through Europe slaughtering all in their path who were not their believers. It ended in a giant massacre in Jerusalem in 1099. The point of the First Crusade was to destroy any who did not believe in what they believed in. This is an important event because it marks how great atrocities occur when misunderstandings in religion happen. -
Period: Jan 1, 1140 to Jan 1, 1400
Visual Arts: Gothic Architecture
Gothic architecture sought to achieve a greater height structure filled with more light than had been seen in anything prior. This was accomplished by the pointed arch, ribbed vaulting, and flying buttresses. The ribbed vaulting and flying buttresses supported the weight of the ceiling allowing it to grow taller. This style was primarily used in churches to allow larger amounts of light which stood for the spirit of God. This was important because it heavily influenced later structures styles. -
Jan 1, 1320
Literature: Dante's "The Divine Comedy":Inferno
Dante's "Inferno" is a poem describing his experience traveling through the different levels of Hell. Dante was trying to show the consequences of different types of sin and additionally rebel banishment with symbolic meanings in his work. I find this is an important work for his depiction of Hell. We only have the depiction of Hell in the Bible and this gives a different sense of Hell not described before. Translated version of Dante's "Inferno":
http://www.planolibraries.org/books/inferno.pdf -
Jan 1, 1424
Visual Arts: Linear Perspective in "Holy Trinity"
Masaccio invented the idea of perspective as seen in the painting "Holy Trinity". Linear perspective is where the painter uses a vanishing point and perpendicular lines to create the illusion of three dimension.
Masaccio's goal with using linear perspective within this painting was to accomplish the look and feel of space/3-dimensions in a painting. This hadn't been accomplished before by anyone.
This is important because it set a standard for future paintings on how to have depth in paintings. -
Jan 1, 1500
Religion: Sikhism
Sikhism was founded around 1500 by Guru Nanak. They believe in one God in which everyone has inside of them. They live lives in which they give to others, keep God in mind at all times, and in which they live honestly. They focus on getting close to God through ordinary life and not spending all of their time focused on getting closer to God only. This is important because understanding different religions lead to world understanding and peace. -
Performing Arts: Hawaiian Hula Dance
The Hula dance is the traditional method in which Hawaiians presented their histories. Each different type of hula dance indicate different things such as animals, goddesses, or wars. Most hula dances incorporate chants and music along with their actual dance moves. Hula dances have different meanings but all incorporate movements in which they mimic nature. Each dance has its own meaning. This is important because traditional dances give a look into their culture before western intervention. -
Philosophy: Hume's Guillotine
Hume's Guillotine represents the separation of "is and ought statements". Specifically, David Hume argues that we cannot know that the "right/moral way" of things is actually rational and correct. We've no knowledge that which we have identified to be moral is actually so. There is a flaw to this in my opinion. Some scenarios evidently point to a moral conduct. Such as, one should not steal if they ought not want to go to jail. This is an important thing to look at to analyze ethical arguments. -
Literature: James Fenimore Cooper's " The Last of the Mohicans"
"The Last of the Mohicans" is a fictional book by James Fenimore Cooper in which confrontational life between the Native Americans and white settlers can be seen through an action romance between two Natives and a mixed woman. Interracial relationships are looked upon in this story. The author wanted to depict a semi-realistic life of Native Americans and white settlers in the 1700's. This is an important book because it gives a realistic look at the negative impact of white civilization. -
Religion: Bahá'í-Unity of Humanity
The Bahá'í religion stresses that all people of different races or sexes are created equal. This is because the religion states that humanity is on single race that should unite. The message behind Bahá'í is that regardless of social status, religion, race, or sex, all humans are equal and should work together to achieve this type of mindset through the world. This is an extremely important concept because it shows how we should look at all of the humans in the world to improve society. -
Performing Arts: "When We Stand Together" Nickelback Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb7DKYulfms
"When We Stand Together" by Nickelback is a song in which they are telling us to band together to help those in need rather than ignoring them. The song mentions several scenarios in which we should offer help and yet many just turn their heads. The band is trying to tell us to get involved in helping the less fortunate whether it be starving people or a war in which we choose to ignore. I believe this is important because we need to help those that need it if we are able. -
History: Discovery of the Higgs Bison
Through the analysis of cave ancient cave paintings, scientists have been able to identify a new species of bison called the Higgs bison. This work is important because it shows how without the humanities, the new species would not have been easily identified. There was DNA evidence to suggest a new species, however, there wasn't a lot of changes between the species to solidify the declaration. The cave paintings clearly showed a physical difference in bison. A new species was then identified.
