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YefeiPi
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Canada
Jul 2001 time: 00:15
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Chinese all the way, the others don't even come close.
quote:
I would say the Romans... I could explain, but it wouldn't be worth the extra effort... it's self explanatory
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Not self-explanatory, or you have no reason?
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YefeiPi
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Canada
Jul 2001 time: 00:15
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Hey this thread would be biasd, wouldn't it? I mean most people here are from North America and Europe, so I mean wouldn't the poll be biased in that it will lean toward western civs?
A poll like this can only be for entertainment purpose, but the results won't be accurate.
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tniem
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Hope College
Apr 2000 time: 00:15
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Babylonians/Sumerian/Metsopatamian culture - birthplace of Western Civ definitely is the most deserving.
Of course others like Chinese, Romans, Egyptian, and Greeks are a close second.
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YefeiPi
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Canada
Jul 2001 time: 00:15
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quote: 1. Caesar- you said exactly what I was thinking. Its culture is one of the longest and most advanced... the only real rivals are Egypt, Greece (which could be debated as better...), China. |
Sorry but I disagree.
Romans: one of the longest? Yes, however, not as long as Egypt and China, don't know about Greece.
THE most advanced civ? I seriously doubt it. On what terms do you say Romans is the most advanced? Militarily, the Mongols beats the romans in terms of land conquered. Science? Many other civs easily beats it. Population? I don't think so.
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I was going to pass but now!!!!
I voted for the USA, however Greece has been around a long time and are still here.
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YefeiPi
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Canada
Jul 2001 time: 00:15
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quote: Well I guess that is is going to be opinionated but I would say that the Western Civilization on Earth is far more powerful today than any in Earth's history. I would say that the west is impacting China today more than China is influencing the West. The West put people in space. The West has overcome a lot and the tradition is very strong. So yes despite my bias I would say that the birthplace of Western Civilization in Babylon, Greece, and Rome is a much stronger and important to history than China. |
Well, there is a time when Chinese lived in nice designed houses and Europeans are still living in mud houses, much less North Americans. China was never so far behind the west as the west was once with China. The West put people in space, China has given the world gun powder, I mean which is more practical? Aren't all wars fought with gun powder? How else did English colonize so many countries? With pitchforks? China has overcome more than the west in terms of struggle as a civilization, I mean which western civilization rivals China in terms of the longest survival and still was able to maintain a very unique culture? To me, all the western European countries are very much alike.
Also when you say that the Western Civilization on Earth is far more powerful today than any in Earth's history. How can you pitch the entire western civilzations against China's single history? The western civs includes many: English, French, German, Americans, Greeks, Romans, etc. It's like saying my group of sheeps are better than your single cow. If you pitch any single western civilization, China can easily match it if not beating it.
I would believe China is more important to history than western civs you have mentioned. See it's all about opinion. You will probably never change what I feel, and I can never change yours and we will both try to prove our bias. As I said, this thread is very opinionated. Which civ wins the poll does not reflect the reality.
Last edited by YefeiPi on 30-08-2001 at 06:38
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fred
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Ontario, Canada
Jan 1970 time: 05:15
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mermur...
Apples and oranges is where you are at.
How can you gadge the affect of one civilization on another, especially on the scale you decide to choose. Seriously, I don't really believe many people know the influence China had on Europe. The silk trade of the 1500 or 1600s gave portugal and spain untold riches. I'm not even about to comment on the influence China had dating back to BC (Yes it did have influence back then). Culture travels far. This is not to include the influence of the trade routes started back in 500 AD.
Then you take into acount Sun Tzu's Art of War. Think of the influence that had on Napolean as he charged across the European continent. Maybe Napy would have lost his first battle if he hadnt read it? Who can really gadge what influence they had.
Add to the current economy, if China decided to shut down all the american factories that produce their products at loiw costs it would severly damage the American economy. So who has the control? You can add the fact that China just being there changes US's world stance.
But it goes both ways. But I return to my original post: Each culture that has ever existed is equally important. Removing one could change drastically how the future turns out. Remove Nubia and all of a sudden Eygpt would totally change. Adversly affecting the middle east, Greece, and Northern Africa (Directly). Through those contacts Africa would be changed, Rome would be altered, Persian Empire who knows what would happen. Through those India is affected hence China, Japan, Korea. Celts are affected the "savage" tribes of germany. The vikings affected, the huns, vandals. The Christian religon. The Byzantium Empire. Franks, Normans, Muslim, Russians, Japanese, Indians, Chinese, Mongols. Empires of 1500 europe are affected. Thus the history of north america is affected, South america.
The simple demonstration of removing the Nubians shows that the affects would be as drastic as removing the chinese, the greeks, or the romans. Every culture is equally important in creating a modern culture.
And just something to add: Cantonese and Mandarian both use the same characters. It is the pronouncation is different. Each area has its own dialect in China. But it is simply at the basics been the same language since atleast 1 AD. It just has evolved differently. As latin did, but not as drastic. And as English is now doing.
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Simon Loverix
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Tongeren, Belgium
Apr 2001 time: 05:15
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The problem with this poll is that nation-states and civilizations are mixed up. The western civilization consists of a number of nations. Those are not civilizations in their own right. The start of the western civ can be placed around 800 AD, when the christianization of Europe was done. Then it consisted of a mix of Celto-Germanic and Roman influences, Rome itself consisting of influences from the Greeks, Jews, Egypt and various other Middle Eastern civilizations and nations.
When Europe started looking beyond its borders, they took home (with or without cooperation ) anything that seemed useful, be it technological, material and even cultural. In that way the West was influenced by virtually all contemporary and predecessory civilizations. In turn, through colonization, trade and various forms of imperialism, the West influenced and influences all peoples on earth (and someday beyond, for sure).
So what's the difference between the West and China? China stayed the same, conserved its culture (an extremely decent one, let that be sure) for thousands of years. The West changed, summarized and innovated. Which made them supreme around 1900 AD.
But then the cultural diversity and technological advancement, which allowed them to rule, caused the downfall... of only half the civ, thanks to the widespread expansion. Which allowed the West to survive as a whole (Marshall-plan, though it was only to provide customers for US industry, but thank you anyway). The prime reasons for domination (and consequently importance) are thus adaptation and innovation.
On the languages:
Serbians and Croatians can perfectly be understood by each other, but the languages have a different alphabet, Cyrillic and Latin (for political reasons). Turkish was written in Arabian, but Kemal Ataturk changed it to Latin. French, English, Dutch, German, Spanish, .. are all written in the same alphabet. The criterium to determine whether you have to deal with one or two languages is mutual comprehensibility. If they cannot understand each other, they speak a different language. Any alphabet can be used to write whatever language.
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