western culture began in ancient greece

8/3/2019 Western Culture Began in Ancient Greece

1/9

Western culture began in Ancient Greece. There and in the Roman civilization it developed until

the start of the Middle Ages when it l argely vanished from

Europe. During the Middle Ages, Western culture resided, instead, in the Arab / Persian world toa modest degree.

Then the rediscovery of Western culture in Europe in the Late Middle Ages prompted theRenaissance. Western cultures continuing development then led to the Scientific Revolution, the

Enlightenment, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and to what is considered

today as modern civilization.

Where Western Culture Is

Today, Western culture has at least some presence in nearly all nations of the world. It does notcurrently exist, however, anywhere in a perfect and complete form. Wherever Western culture

exists, it is at least partially mixedand often largely mixedwith non-Western culture.

Western culture currently dominates in many Western and Central European nations and several

nations settled by Europeans and their descendants. Western culture also significantly exists inmany Asian nations, such as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, and it is increasinglyinfluential in India and China.

It has only a modest presence in most of the rest of Asia as well as Latin America and EasternEurope. In much of both Africa and the Middle East, Western culture currently has little

meaningful presence.

Western Culture Transcends Geography and Race

Since Western culture is based on objective reality and universal human nature, it is open to

everyone, transcending both geography and race.[1]

In other words, Western culture is humanitys culture. Contrary to conventional belief, one does

not need to be Caucasian or of European descent to admire Western culture or, indeed, even helpto build it. Any individual or society on earth can adopt it and thereby become Westernized.[2]
http://partners.shoogloonetwork.com/z/274/CD1490/http://partners.shoogloonetwork.com/z/274/CD1490/


2/9

Indeed, millions of people each year with no ancestral ties to Europe recognize the universal

appeal of Western culture. They do so by immigrating to and immersing themselves in nationswhere Western culture has meaningful presence. Or they personally embrace and promote

Western culture in the nations where they live.

These adopters of Western culture understand that truth is truth, ideals are ideals and values arevaluesand it does not matter from where such things come or who originally discovered or

identified them. In other words, adopters of Western culture know, on some level, that culture isan intellectual matter, not an issue of geography or raceor, for that matter, an issue of

ethnicity, language, class, national origin or gender.

Race and Culture No Connection

The fact that Europeans or Caucasians largely developed Western or advanced culture does not

mean that they are innately superior or only they are capable of creating it.

One needs simply to know that North African, Near Eastern and Middle Eastern individuals

developed the first civilizations or civilized cultures. And while these cultures flourished,Europeans or Caucasians had generally not yet developed beyond savagery.

Further, significant elements of Western culture came from other parts of the world, includingthe first civilizations and Asia. Also, individuals of all races, ethnicities and many national

origins have contributed to the development of Western culture over the centuries and continueto do so today.

And if current trends continue, Western culture may be taken to new heights in Asia in this

century or the coming centuries rather than in areas dominated by Caucasians or people ofEuropean ancestry.

It is also worth noting that the Aztec and Inca cultures of Central and South America,respectively, were in some ways nearly as advanced as European culture at the time, despite the

fact that they were relatively young. Had the Aztec and Inca civilizations not been conquered and

had more time to develop, it is conceivable that their cultures may have come to rival, evensurpass, European culture.


3/9

All of this is to show that race has nothing (or at most virtuallynothing) to do with a cultures level of development. A certain race may appear to be more

advanced at a given time, but, over the broad view of history, it is clear that no race is superior orinnately more capable than others.

Individuals of any race could have conceivably created the first civilized culturesand

individuals of any race could have conceivably first developed Western or advanced culture. In

other words, Western culture is in no way inherently Caucasian or European.

The level of a cultures development is ultimately explained, not by race, but by the fundamental

ideas of the cultureparticularly by the degree to which reason is embraced as the guide to

thought and action.[3]

Western Culture Superior?Many people strongly disagree with the belief that a culture can be considered better than others.

They do so because they view a cultures level of development as a product of race. As a result,

they view any claim of cultural superiority as a claim of racial superiorityand, accordingly,

condemn the idea of cultural superiority as racist. However, as we have seen, a cultures level ofdevelopment is not a product of race.

People also object to the idea of cultural supremacy because they do not believe that culture can

be judged objectively. This, too, is incorrect. The proper standard for objectively evaluating a

culture is by the degree to which its core values are for or against human life.[4] A pro-human

life culture recognizes the requirements of proper human survival, namely the values of reason,

individualism, happiness, rights and capitalism.

In other words, pro-human life culture is Western culture. And the extent to which a nationembraces Western culture is the extent to which it is free, prosperous, modern and peacefulthat

is, supportive of human life. One need only look at life expectancies around the world to see that

this is true.

Posted inWhat is Western Culture?|Leave a comment
http://westernculture.co.in/category/what-is-western-culture/http://westernculture.co.in/category/what-is-western-culture/http://westernculture.co.in/category/what-is-western-culture/http://westernculture.co.in/2011/11/21/what-is-western-culture/#respondhttp://westernculture.co.in/2011/11/21/what-is-western-culture/#respondhttp://westernculture.co.in/2011/11/21/what-is-western-culture/#respondhttp://westernculture.co.in/2011/11/21/what-is-western-culture/#respondhttp://westernculture.co.in/category/what-is-western-culture/


4/9

Party Crafts with a Western Theme

Published April 5, 2011 | Byadmin

Party Crafts with a Western Theme

A lot of kids are getting into the western culture again, and that means that they will no doubt

want a western themed birthday party. After the recent success of certain western style movies,

kids are getting back into the groove of this genre, culture, and time period. If you have a kid

who likes this and is also have a birthday soon, then you would do well to make the partywestern themed. Not only that, but you can make the party even better if you craft a lot of the

food and decorations yourself.

A big part of western food is barbecue, so you can craft your own for the party. This is fairly

easy and most people do this on a regular basis anyway. Youll need a grill, several different

kinds of meat, and barbecue sauce. Then the kids will feel like they are out in the old west. Youmay also want to make some Mexican food too so that you get a southern feel to the food as

well. This is completely up to you and your kid, though.

Horses were very important in the western culture, so you should use this fact when you craft

decorations for the party. You can make while hangings by drawing horseshoes on paper and

pinning them to the wall. Speaking of pinning, pin the tail on the donkey is a very appropriate

game for a western themed party. You could even have pin the hat on the cowboy if you want.

Spirituality, the Life-centre of Indian CultureIndian civilization is more than five thousand years old. During this long period it produced a unique

type of highly advanced and variegated culture. In spite of the innumerable regional, social andlinguistic diversities of the country, there has always been a basic unity in Indian culture. Moreover, thisculture maintained unbroken continuity from Vedic times to the present day, in spite of countless wars

within the country, invasions from outside and two centuries of subjugation by the British. This
http://westernculture.co.in/2011/04/05/party-crafts-with-a-western-theme/http://westernculture.co.in/2011/04/05/party-crafts-with-a-western-theme/http://westernculture.co.in/author/admin/http://westernculture.co.in/author/admin/http://westernculture.co.in/author/admin/http://westernculture.co.in/author/admin/http://westernculture.co.in/2011/04/05/party-crafts-with-a-western-theme/


5/9

indestructible unity and unbroken continuity of Indian culture are derived from its deep spiritual

foundations.Swami Vivekananda has pointed out that every civilization or culture has a particular life-centre, a

dominant characteristic or trend. According to him the life-centre of Indian culture is spirituality. Byspirituality is meant a way of life oriented to the ultimate purpose or goal of life which is the realizationof the Supreme Spirit or God.

Unity of Philosophy and Religion in IndiaIndian spirituality is deeply rooted in the ancient philosophical and religious traditions of the land.

Philosophy arose in India as an enquiry into the mystery of life and existence. A parallel situation arosein ancient Greece also. But, as Swami Vivekananda pointed out, the Greek philosophers confined theirenquiries to the external world, and the method they employed was only speculation, whereas in India

philosophical enquiries were carried out in the inner world. Indian sages, called Rishis or seers,developed special techniques of transcending the senses and the ordinary mind, collectively called Yoga.

With the help of these techniques they delved deep into the depths of consciousness and discoveredimportant truths about the true nature of man and the universe.The sages found that mans true nature is not the body or the mind, which are ever changing andperishable, but the spirit which is unchanging, immortal, pure consciousness. They called it the Atman.The Atman is mans true Self, the true knower, the true source of mans knowledge, happiness and

power. The Rishis further found that all individual selves are parts of infinite Consciousness which theycalled Brahman. Brahman is the ultimate Reality, the ultimate cause of the universe. Ignorance ofmans true nature is the main cause of human suffering and bondage. By gaining correct knowledge ofAtman and Brahman it is possible to become free from suffering and bondage and attain a state ofimmortality, everlasting peace and fulfilment known as Mukti.Religion in ancient India meant a way of life which enabled man to realize his true nature and attainMukti.Thus philosophy provided a correct view of Reality, while religion showed the correct way of life;philosophy provided the vision, while religion brought about the fulfilment; philosophy was the theory,and religion was the practice. Thus in ancient India, philosophy and religion complemented each other.In fact, they together constituted a single endeavour, an integral discipline. This integral religiousphilosophy or philosophical religion was called Vedanta. The term Vedanta comes from the fact

that its basic principles constitute the last part or culmination of the ancient scriptures known as theVedas.

The VedasThe Vedas are the oldest and most authoritative scriptures of Hinduism. All other scriptures aresubordinate to them. They were not composed by anybody but were revealed to the Rishis; hence theyare also called Shruti, that which is heard. The earlier part of the Vedas may have been composedbetween 2000 B.C. and 1000 B.C. There are four Vedas: Rig-veda, Yajur-veda, Sama-veda and Atharva-veda. Each of these has four divisions: Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishads.

Samhita: This section is a collection of hymns addressed to various deities. Many of these hymns

have deep mystical significance.Brahmana: This portion deals with various rituals and also with moral principles.

Aranyaka: This portion contains various meditations. Some of these meditations are mentalrecreations of external rituals.Upanishads: These are the records of the transcendental experiences gained by Rishis by following

different contemplative techniques. These experiences are actually revelations about Atman,Brahman and other eternal, universal truths regarding the ultimate Reality.

These eternal truths and principles of the spiritual world, lying scattered in the Upanishads, were broughttogether and codified by Badarayana in the form ofsutrasor aphorisms in the 5th century B.C. Thesesutrasknown as Brahma Sutrasform the foundation of the system of philosophy known as

Vedanta-Darshana.


6/9

VedantaThus the term Vedanta stands for three inter-related things:(a) the Upanishads collectively, which form the last and the most important part of the

Vedas;(b) the eternal truths and principles of the spiritual realm;

(c) the system of philosophy based on Brahma Sutras.However, it is mostly in the last sense of Vedanta Darshana (Vedanta Philosophy)that the term Vedantais commonly used.

In this connection it should be pointed out that five more systems of philosophy arose in India in theearly centuries of the Christian era. These are:

1) Mimamsa, founded by Jaimini2) Vaisheshika, founded by Kanada3) Nyaya, founded by Gautama4) Sankhya, founded by Kapila5) Yoga, founded by Patanjali

These five systems of philosophy always remained confined to small groups of intellectuals. They neverbecame identified with the mainstream religion of the land and, in due course, they ceased to be in

vogue. Vedanta alone remained the main philosophy of India from the Vedic period, and Vedanta alonegot identified with the religion of the land. As already mentioned, Vedanta is both philosophy andreligion. This combined religious and philosophical tradition of India came to be called SanatanaDharma, Eternal Religionand, still later, as Hinduism.

Other scriptures of VedantaAlthough the Upanishads constitute the original andmost authoritative source of Vedanta, they are notthe only scripture of Vedanta. Several other books also came to be accepted as authoritative. Amongthese, the most important one is Bhagavad Gita. It introduced several new concepts into Vedanta suchas God incarnating Himself as the Avatar age after age, devotion to personal God as means to Mukti,discharging ones duties of life in a spirit of selflessness and self-surrender to God as a spiritual path, and

so on. Over the centuries great teachers like Shankara, Ramanuja, and great saints of medieval periodenriched Vedanta with philosophical concepts and devotional songs.

Three Phases of VedantaVedanta is not a static philosophy or religion. It is a highly dynamic, ever-growing philosophy andreligion capable of meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles. In this process of growth, Vedantahas passed through three phases.

(i) Formative Phase: This phase extended from around 1000 B.C. to 3rd century B.C. During thisperiod the Upanishads, the Gita and the Brahma-sutras (these three scriptures are together calledPrasthana-traya) provided the basic concepts of Vedanta such as Atman and Brahman.(ii) Scholastic Phase: This phase extended from about the 8th century A.D. to the 13th century.During this period great teachers like Shankara expounded and expanded the original intuitive insights

of Vedic Rishis and the teachings of the Gita, and established Vedanta as a cogent, comprehensivesystem of philosophy the most cogent and comprehensive religious philosophy the world has everseen.But during this period Vedanta split into a number of philosophical schools and religious sects. Themain philosophical schools were the following:

Advaita or Non-dualism propounded by ShankaraVishishta-advaita propounded by RamanujaDvaita propounded by MadhvaShuddhadvaita propounded by Vallabha


7/9

Achintya-bheda-abheda propounded by Jiva GosvaminThese schools of philosophy carried on acrimonious debates among themselves which kept up theintellectual vigour of the people. India produced during this period many great scholars and thinkers.The main religious sects were: Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism. Each of these had severalsub-sects. These sects produced many saints. These saints spread Vedantic ideas among the commonpeople through songs and teachings.

Here mention should be made of two other religio-philosophical traditions associated with Indianculture, namely Buddhism and Jainism. They arose as spiritual movements in the 6th century BC.They shared some of the basic concepts of Indias ancient belief system such as Karma, rebirth,

samsara, Dharma and direct spiritual experience. But their rejection of the authority of the Veda, castedistinction, belief in an Ultimate Reality as the Supreme Deity and ultimate cause of the universe, andother principles alienated them from the main stream of Vedantic culture. As a result, Buddhism and

Jainism began to decline in India and, after the 12th century AD, Buddhism ceased to have any directinfluence on the development of Indian culture.

(iii) Modern Phase: The third phase of Vedanta was inaugurated by Sri Ramakrishna and SwamiVivekananda in the 19th century. During this period Vedanta was transformed from an ethnic religiousphilosophy into a universal philosophy of life.

The main transformations brought about bySri RamakrishnaandSwami Vivekanandaare given below:

1. Rejuvenation: Sri Ramakrishna is the real link between ancient India and modernIndia. Through stupendous spiritual efforts Sri Ramakrishna relived the entire range ofspiritual experiences of the sages and saints of the past from Vedic times to his times.He thereby revalidated the truths of Vedanta. He traversed the paths of Vedic, Shaiva,Shakta and Vaishnava traditions, including obscure and forgotten paths. He broughtabout the purification of spiritual life by emphasizing its moral foundation, and rejectingoccultism, esoterism and miracle-mongering. He made God realization possible for all

even in the midst of the distractions of the modern world. He imparted tremendousfervour to the efforts to realize God. All this has resulted in a thorough rejuvenation ofVedanta in modern times.2. Modernization:Swami Vivekanandas great work was to make ancient Vedantic

concepts acceptable to modern minds by interpreting the eternal truths in the light ofmodern rational thought and science. This modernized version is what most of thepresent-day educated Hindus understand by Vedanta.3. Integration of Philosophical Schools:Vedanta had split into different schools in

the Middle Ages. Swami Vivekananda brought about the reintegration of these schools.He did this by stressing the common ground of different schools, especially the principle

of Atman, and by showing that the different schools represent different stages ofrealization of the ultimate Reality.4. Unification of Religious Sects: Sri Ramakrishna taught, from his realization, that

all spiritual paths lead to the same ultimate goal, Yato mat tato path. As many views, somany paths to God. This principle, which forms the basis of his doctrine ofdharma-

samanvayaor Harmony of Religions, came to be applied within Hinduism itself in duecourse. This has given rise to a sense of unity among Hindu sects in modern times, in

spite of many differences in customs and traditions.5. Meeting of Challenges: Till the eleventh century A.D. the only challenges Vedantahad to face were internal; these came mainly from Buddhism and Jainism and fromdissensions of different schools of Vedanta and sects of Hinduism each of which claimedsuperiority over the others. From the thirteenth century Islam began to exert itsinfluence on Indian society in a big way. Many great saints then arose in different partsof India and responded to the Islamic challenge by spreading the ideas of oneness ofGod, brotherhood of man and social equality among the common people.However, the greatest challenge Indian society ever faced came from Western culture in
http://www.belurmath.org/sriramakrishna.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/sriramakrishna.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htmhttp://www.belurmath.org/sriramakrishna.htm


8/9

the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Western culture posed three major challenges

to Indian society:(a) modern rational thought and science,

(b) an open society which values freedom and social justice,(c) the idea of a saviour God who identifies himself with the poor, the sick and thefallen.

Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda met these Western challenges:(a) by revitalizing Vedantic spirituality,(b) by interpreting the eternal truths of Vedanta, discovered by the ancient sages,in the light of modern rational thought, and(c) by introducing a new gospel of social service based on the practical applicationof Vedantic principles in day-to-day life.

6. Practical Vedanta: By Practical Vedanta is meant the practical applicat ion of thebasic principles of Vedanta in solving the problems of day-to-day life. For centuriesVedantic principles were intended only to help people to attain Mukti or liberation.

Swami Vivekananda, however, showed that the highest principles of Vedanta can beapplied even in ordinary life to solve the day-to-day problems of life. Vedantic principles

can be applied not only in individual life but also in social life. In fact, Swamiji held that

Indias downfall took place mainly because the eternal spiritual principles were notapplied in collective life.7. Universalization of Vedanta: For many centuries the essential, basic truths of

Vedanta remained bound up with innumerable beliefs, myths, customs, castes, etc.Moreover, the higher truths of Vedanta were available only to a small group of privilegedpeople, and it was believed that to follow the principles of Vedanta one had to be born ina certain Hindu caste. Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda separated the essentialtruths of Vedanta from the non-essentials. Swamiji showed that the essential truths ofVedanta constitute the eternal, universal truths of the spiritual world which form therationale and basis of all the religions of the world. As a matter of fact, the eternalprinciples of Vedanta themselves constitute the Universal Religion of all mankind, and thedifferent religions of the world are only manifestations of this Universal Religion in

different places and times. Furthermore, through his lectures and books and through theVedanta Centres which he founded, Swamiji made the life-giving principles of Vedantaavailable to all people without any distinction of caste, creed or race.In this way, through the pioneering efforts of Swami Vivekananda, Vedanta has crossedthe boundaries of India and has now become the common property of all mankind. Thework started by Swamiji is now being carried on by many teachers and organizations

around the world.Western culture has affected almost every dimension of society. Each and everything including

clothing, fashion, food, media, traditions has been affected by the advent of western culture. The

youth prefers to wear western dresses rather than traditional indian dresses. The movies are also

now very much inspired by english movies. The advent of McDonals, Dominos etc. Havechanged the people eating habbits. The western media is watched by many of the youngsters and

people of India. The core religious traditions are still the same but the life style differences canbe found because of western culture. Hence we can say that western media has not affected the

core traditions of indian society but has changed life style and apparent characteristics of thesociety.

India is a secular country where the people have the freedom to practice any religion and also toconvert into another religion of their choice.So, all the cultures are freely accepted and respected

by the Indians.


9/9

But, the influence of western culture started in India during the 19th century when the britishestablished their colony in the country.

The culture ofIndia has been shaped not only by its long history, unique geography and diversedemography, but also by its ancient heritages. Regarded by some historians as the "oldest living

civilization of Earth", the Indian tradition dates back to 8,000 BC and has a continuous recorded

history for over 2,500 years.

But due to the increasing development... Due to globalization the rich culture of India is

disappearing. The most impact is of western culture on India culture. Western culture is basedmore on materialistic factors where as our culture has a spiritual base.

The culture of India is been disappearing by many ways the youths in India do not respect

their elders, the families in India live separate... And thus have lost contacts with their other

relatives

the big point which is making the culture of India to disappear in bollywood the dressing styleof the actresses, the slang word used in movies are been influenced the youth to bad step of life.

The young ones try to act the same as these actors do which is very bad to the culture of India

the lack of morals, the lacking faith in God, having late night parties, the influence of drugs and

alcohols, least interest in Indian languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, Celebrating mothers day, fathers

day, valentine day, fools day etc rather than celebrating our Indian festivals and thus wasting

their precious time of life, Thinking to be independent at an early age

so I strongly say that accept good from that and try to know our Indian culture more than u

definitely change mind.. Thankyou!

western culture began in ancient greece

Documents