The Enlightenment (4/2)

In all of the portriats, not one of the subjects are smiling. They all have serious, stern, expressionless faces. Additionally, they all appear to be looking past or to the side of the viewer, but not directly at them. This gives them somewhat of an air of superiority. They are supposed to be "heros", and depicting these leaders with smiles would make them appear weak and laughable. For Marat's, portriat, he appears dead. Most likely, the artist was trying to make him into a martyr, and to give the French something to fight for. As for the others, they are depicted very elegantly, yet all with weapons, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with. For future generations, this makes them seem like valiant leaders who themselves were involved in the battles. Revolutions do need heroes--someone to kick-start the whole process and to unite the people together. I think the artist is celebrating their actions. By painting them with weapons, the artist makes them all out to look like war heroes, thereby celebrating their heroic actions.

The 6 Killer Apps (3/29)

It is no question that Niall Ferguson knows what he's talking about, and I do agree with what he has to say. His 6 killer apps all do make sense for Westernization. And he is right; no matter what other factors you try to average in, it always boils down to those 6. I also agree that, as he said, the Easterners will suprass the west in years to come. And it is because the west has shared these apps that this became possible. All in all, I think his 6 ideas are spot-on, and they are all the reasons why Western culture has been able to make so many large-scale advances in years past. Additionally, all his historical examples made sense and illustrated his point.

Text Book Approach...Good or Bad? (3/23)

1) I actually liked the way the book presented all three Muslim empires together in one chapter. Though they do, like it is in the book, each need their own subsections, presenting them I one chapter is the most logical thing to do. They are all major Muslim empires, and it wouldn't make sense to put them in separate chapters. Plus, compared to other chapters in the book, if each empire had its own chapters, these chapters would be comparably shorter. Grouping them all together makes it easier to draw inferences and make comparisons, skill which is important in history. I agree with the way the book presented the empires.
2) Although there was some violence during this period of global interaction, I think it was a good thing. It is necessary for societies to interact with outside neighbors. To remain completely isolated could remain to decline. Trade, communication, and interaction globally is always a good thing. Overall, it was positive, even though there was some conflict. After all, without global interaction, how would ideas spread?

Fabian Fucan's Attack on Christianity (3/15)

Fucan uses a great deal of sarcasm during his attack on Christianity. He talks of how there is no truth to the Chritian teachings, and by doing this he is attacking the religious aspect of Christianity. He calls it "a cursed faith" and even talks of how much he is ashamed to have once been a part of it. He then attacks the cultural aspect, saying that Japan is far superior to any Chritain nation. As for politics, Fucan criticizes how Christians try to convert Japan, and how foolish they are to try to do so. Lastly, he calls Christianity a horrible religion when attacking the social sphere of the religion because of the fact that they have martyrs. He says that the Christian god must me very careless to let humans throw their lives away, and makes the Christian god out to seem like a horrible monster. The sarcasm used throughout the piece also puts Christianity in a negative light in the piece.

Capitalism Revisited (3/2)

Now, I know that one of the biggest words in capitalism is "banking". The weary rich needed places to keep their ridiculous amounts of money, and thus banks were born. They were shortly followed by joint-stock companies, insurance agencies, and corporations. People tried to, as the term suggest, capitalize of their wealth. But, while they did this, poor working classes just got poorer. They did not have money to invest in companies, and therefore it was impossible for them to capitalize on their wealth. Upper and lower classes became more distinct.

Capitalism? Do tell! (3/1)

In my mind, when I hear the word "capitalism", my mind immediately jumps to money. Capitalism is all about money and filling one's pockets. Corporations, banking, and finances a all words that come to mind when Ai think of capitalism. I tend to picture cartoonish "big-wigs" fat men sitting in office chairs with a fluffy cat on their laps in a luxurious office, while most of the other people are working to try to get by. In short, capitalism is all about the rich getting richer.

Christianity again...and again...and again! (3/1)

A this point in time, Christianity keeps branching off into different sub-sections. This is because as the religion spreads, the message gets altered and changed along the way. Soon, as these "new" versions of Christianity spread, they become new forms entirely. Additionally, different people adapt the reliogion to fit their needs, or combine it with their existing religion. Thus, new sects of Christianity are born. Though they all originate from the same source, these branches all differ from one another in some way.