11 Jun Examine all primary source documents provided in the booklet “Thinking through Sources: The Good Life in Asian Cultural Traditions.
Examine all primary source documents provided in the booklet “Thinking through Sources: The Good Life in Asian Cultural Traditions.” Compare and contrast the documents in Chapter 4 by discussing what would characterize a “good person”/” personal virtues”, “good life”, “good society”, and how “good society is created & maintained”-how does it relates to religious and political life? Then compare and contrast those various religious and cultural traditions (beliefsystems-what common threads appear and why) and how those primary sources are shaped by social and political context in which they were created. Examine the commonalities of the societies (Eurasia /North Africa) that produced Axial-Age thinkers, what was going on in theirsocieties (social/economic/political aspects) and then evaluate their impact on those early societies as well as its present-day influence and appeal (what ways do they speak to universal needs). In what different ways those religious or cultural traditions speak about the purpose of human life? Are they still relevant to us today? How can we translate their messages into modern day thought (i.e., what do they say to us today, evidence of “presentism”)? Do you think that a secular outlook of the world is essentially modern phenomenon, or does it have precedents in the classical era? Also, is there a special mix of events and experiences that produces great philosophical and religious leaders or is it merely a matter of personalities?
