Suchergebnisse

In this paper Heinrich Beck outlines his theory about the relations among the world cultures and their contribution toward what he calls' creative peace'. Three of the world's cultures, namely that of Europe, Africa and Asia, are seen as much as members of a living organism, which is taken to be a 'Heuristic principle of possible understanding' whereby the integration and mutual reception of these three world cultures can be effected. The European tendency toward rationality and analysis is complemented by the Afro-Asiatic tendency toward holism and synthesis. And there is still further division between the African and the Asian mind. Though both emphasize unity and harmony, the African mind is predicated upon the immediately unity of nature and spirit, whereas the Asian one is characterized by traquility of conciousness. This, in turn, is contrasted by the European mind which is based upon the separation between mind and matter. These contrasts present themselves, according to Beck, as an occasion for a triadic and dialectical ontological structure, from which emerges a dynamic unity out of the contrasting unities. Thus a way is shown for world peace, which is not a static kind, but a dynamic and creative one.

"The social transformation of the Roman world is a highly topical and much-discussed subject among historians. The importance of kinship in this epochal process has been largely neglected until now. This compendium seeks to close this gap by examining the role of kinship in transforming the social order. It significantly expands our perspective on the epochal upheaval between late antiquity and the middle ages"--