Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 36

Vulcania

THE ANSWER TO WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL


CIVILIZATION
Joe Peck
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
SECTION 1
The desert is a very rough place to
live. In the desert there are clear skies,
and the sun beats down on the rolling
sand hills. In the desert it can reach over
100F in the day and can drop below
freezing at night. Below the blistering sun,
are lush, green, palm trees. These look
tiny next to the sand dunes that are hun-
dreds of feet tall. Lining the shoreline, are
grassy shrubs and vegetation and below
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Oasis_in_Libya.jpg
Introduction
1
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
everything, is water, glistening with the re-
flection of the vegetation, palm trees, and
sand dunes. Without this oasis, life in the
desert would be so much harder.
It is in this favorable geographic envi-
ronment that the civilization of Vulcania
will be founded. It is a civilization whose
design takes its inspiration from the study
of past civilizations such as the Arabs, the
Aztecs, the Greeks, the Mayans, the Meso-
potamians, and the Romans, among oth-
ers. This book will document the neces-
sary steps to take in order to create a suc-
cessful civilization.
2
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
Humans are children of their environments.
- Sinichi Suzuki
CHAPTER 1
3
Modifications
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
SECTION 1
Part I Analysis of the Problem
The first step in building a successful civili-
zation is to secure basic human needs
such as food and water. Due to its geogra-
phy, the major challenges the civilization
of Vulcania faces in achieving a basic food
and water supply include the following:
Human Changes to the Land
4
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
1. In the harsh desert the people of Vulca-
nia will need to have a stable food source.
One way to get is by farming, but that will
be hard because of the harsh weather, let
alone find some dirt and seeds to plant.
Due to the fact that farming is hard in the
dessert the people of Vulcania will need to
find other ways to get food such as raising
animals like cows, chickens, and goats. So if
the people of Vulcania do no not find solu-
tions to finding food, the civilization will
starve to death.
2. Being in the dessert is a real disadvan-
tage for water because it rarely rains and
there is little ground water. In the Oasis
there is a small lake but who knows if it is
clean and sanitary. Also, the people of Vul-
cania need to find a way to transport wa-
ter all around the civilization like canals.
The people of Vulcania will have to work
very hard for the city to survive and
thrive.
Part II Proposed Solutions
To have a successful civilization you need
to make adaptions and modifications. An
adaption is a physical change that you
make to yourself to make your daily life
better. An example of this is the change of
skin color so the heat does not affect you
as much. A modification is a physical
change that an organism makes to its envi-
ronment. If the people of Vulcania do not
5
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
make these changes them, along with their
civilization, will not last long.
What the people of Vulcania might do to
help there civilization get food would be
to have a farm and try to find livestock or
trade for them. Then the people of Vulca-
nia could breed the cows so we will have
milk and meat. They could also get other
animals like camels, goats, and sheep, too.
Also, the people of Vulcania could cut
down the palm trees and plants so they
would have more land to farm and get
food. This is a technic kind of like slash
and burn, a technic used by the Mayans.
The Mayans used this skill to cut down
whole forests. Also, according to Frey . . .
The Aztecs created small islands called chi-
nampas, or floating gardens (274). The
Aztecs made these small islands to have
more land, mostly for farming. They would
pound logs into the ground in rectangular
shape then fill the middle with soil. The
people of Vulcania could do this in the
lake to have more farming ground.
The people of Vulcania have water but
they will probably need to sanitize it. They
could strain in through palm tree leaf
woven bowls and then the people of Vulca-
6
http://www.ingafoundation.org/slash-and-burn/#.UlMpqxaz7ww
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
nia could heat it up to kill all of the bacte-
ria. Also, they could make canals and aque-
ducts all over the city to transport water
around and water the crops. like the
aqueducts that carried fresh water for irri-
gation. Twin pipes ran from the Chapulte-
pec springs, three miles away. While on
pipe was being cleaned or repaired, the
other could carry water. (Frey 275). The
Mayans had two parallel aqueducts so if
one was broken or being cleaned they
could use the other one. The people of Vul-
cania should do that in their civilization
too.
7
http://my.fresnounied.org/personal/macarmo/history/World%20Histor
y%20Standards%20Through%20Images/Standard%207.7%20Meso%
20American%20and%20Andean%20Civilizations/Las%20Chinampas.j
pg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
The peoples good is the highest law.
CHAPTER 2
8
Law and Government
-Cicero
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
SECTION 1
Lesson #1: Minimum Age Restrictions
To have a successful government you
need to be able to give power to people,
but only to the older, wiser citizens. For
example, Sparta made the Council of Eld-
ers, which was a group of 28 men who
made the laws. In order to be in the
Council of Elders you had to be 60 years
of age and from a noble family. In Volcanic
Maintaining Civil Order
9
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
there would be a council of 30 and a king
that would have last say. Frey states, To
be elected to the Council of Elders, men
had to be at least 60 years old and from a
noble family. (265) In Volcanic the people
that live there should delegate their
power to other people in the congress,
but the ruler will have last say. The people
of Volcanic could have a town hall where
the more powerful people could meet
and make decisions on laws and rules.
Overall, the people of Volcanic will need
to be able to delegate power and make
sure everyone is able to agree on the
laws.
Lesson #2: Life Terms Should be Avoided
In Volcania, to be able to be in the assem-
bly of 300 voters, you will need to be be-
tween the ages of 40 and 60. If a person in
a civilization is too young they are just get-
ting out of school and have to little knowl-
edge. But, when a person is older they
have more knowledge and more experi-
ences. Once a person have turned 60 you
are done serving the council but you are
now eligible for the council of elders,
which is 30 people who decide the laws
10
http://www.bookhotelsinrome.com/popular_sights_of_rome/city_ce
ntre_area/pantheon.htm
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
with the king. This is kind of like Sparta
and their form of government.
In Volcanic all laws will be written down
on large stone for everyone to see. The
council, consisting of 30 wise men, will
make the laws and then an assembly of
300 men 24+ will vote for the laws. Frey
states, The laws were written down on
tablets called the Twelve Tables, (320) In
Rome the patricians and plebeians com-
promised about all of the laws and de-
cided to write them out in public. In Vol-
canic the laws will be written down so
everything is straightforward and there
will be no confusion between the council
and all of the citizens in Vulcania.
Code of Laws
11
http://intranet.arc.miami.edu/rjohn/images/RomeFora/Forum%20-%20A
gustus.jpg
http://www.polatkaya.net/PantheonInside.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
In Vulcania it is important to have laws
about food and water because these are
very scarce than other things in the de-
sert. With out these laws there will very
much crime and theft in Vulcania. Also,
there needs to be laws about land and
what you can do with it. Like how much
land you can have, what crops you can
grow, and how many slaves you are al-
lowed to have working for you. In Hammu-
rabis Code there is a law that states, If
any one is committing a robbery and is
caught, then he shall be put to death. In
Vulcania they will have very specific laws
about robberies, murders, and hurting a ci-
vilian. If you do not have very specific laws
then it will be unclear, and the criminal
will be questioning what he did. With very
harsh laws the people of Vulcania will not
likely commit crime.
I. If you are caught stealing you will be
forced to return the item and pay 20 fikes
to the owner
II. If a family takes more than 3 buckets of
water in a day they will only be able to
take 2 buckets of water a day for 2 weeks
12
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
III. If a person is to harm or kill someone
in Vulcania, the same shall be done to him
or her
IV. If a person is caught lying at court they
shall be banished from Vulcania
V. If you are seen violating someones prop-
erty or something they own, you will have
to repair the damage and pay the owner
20 fikes
VI. If a slave is sold 10 times it is free from
his duty, and he/she is now a citizen of Vul-
cania
VII. On a mans land he his allowed to have
only 10 slaves working for him
In my laws I explained how to solve the
food and water problems. I stated how
every family gets 3 buckets of water per
day, and if you break the law you will pay
the price. Also, I solved the food problems
by making specific laws about stealing and
land property. Without these specific laws
things in Vulcania will not be very clear
and it will be hard to understand whats
right and what is wrong.
13
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CVanQfF-7vM/TSj-BWbFCqI/AAAAAAAADe
A/XnCUYaZbUfM/s640/Orange+Roman+Amphitheatre+LR.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
Political Leadership
The people of Vulcania learned many les-
sons from Julius Caesar, but a more impor-
tant one was to give citizenship to the
people they had captured. Therefore,
these new citizens would stop revolting,
get jobs, and not be mad at the govern-
ment anymore. Julius Caesar was sup-
posed to be dictator of Rome for 10
years but but unfortunately was assassi-
nated within a year of being ruler of
Rome. He took over power in 44 B.C.E.
and was stabbed to death outside the tem-
ple by other members of the senate. As
leader, Caesar made a lot of changes to
people in the land that Rome had cap-
tured. He gave land to the landless peas-
ants and reduced tax amounts and made
the tax collection more fair. But, the big-
gest takeaway that the Vulcanians learned
from Caesar was to give Citizenship to
some of the captured slaves. He allowed
the people in Sicily, Spain and Gaul to be-
come Roman citizens. (Julius Caesars
Rule as Dictator). These citizens would
now need jobs or they would make gangs
and revolt just like before. Caesar was al-
ready thinking of that though, he created
new jobs such as building new roads and
buildings. Caesar had made many differ-
ences in Rome to make it a better civiliza-
tion and Vulcania will learn many things
from him.
14
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
An important lesson to learn from Augus-
tus, is to make life better and safer in a
civilization. Caesar Augustus was the
grandson of Julius Caesar. He created a
program to help make Rome more beauti-
ful and safer. One of the things he did was
make a police department and fire depart-
ment. With these there would be less
crime, and fires would not be as devastat-
ing. In Vulcania they will have there own
police and fire departments to make it
safer. He made many other good changes
around Rome. For example, he made
sure the citys water system was repaired
and two new water channels or aque-
ducts, were constructed. (Political Leader-
ship of Caesar Augustus). The people of
vulcania will learn from this and rebuild
the aqueducts every 5 years to make sure
they are up to date and not broken. Augus-
tus also added new theaters and a big out-
door arena. In Vulcania there will a big
theater and a large arena where fights
would take place for entertainment. With
all these new buildings and other things,
Vulcania will satisfy all people while mak-
ing it safer too.
15
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
Decline of the Western Roman Em-
pire
Military spending and Inferior Technology
were some of the bigger reasons that
Romes Government failed and the west-
ern part of Rome got overthrown. In
Rome, the army was falling in population
with every barbarian attack. The military
would go to the city and recruit many
homeless or jobless people to join the
army. Sometimes they even had to get peo-
ple from other countries. This was not a
very reliable army, so in battles they were
doomed to be defeated. This led to the
military spending large amounts of money
and it left the government little money
left to provide the city with other re-
sources such as grains to feed all of the
homeless and jobless people. The govern-
ment soon started charging more on
taxes, and this led to more civil wars and
rebellions. The Romans were also un-
able to invent new machines or adapt
their military technology in manner that
could prevent them from losing territory
to invading barbarian forces,(Decline of
the Western Roman Empire). In Rome
16
http://www.aviewoncities.com/img/rome/kveit1573p.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
they relied on their 200-year-old ways of
getting around resources, but they never
invent new ways to get around or new in-
ventions to help their army. Without new
technology the attackers would have a
weapon advantage on Rome battles. To
have a successful civilization the military
needs to have an efficient way of spending
money and also be able to get new tech-
nology.
In Vulcania, the military will have a specific
amount of money to spend every month
and there will also be specialized jobs as
inventors and creating new technology.
The government in Vulcania will give the
military a certain amount of money every
week, kind of like an allowance. With this
the military wont take all the money out
of the governments bank and they wont
have to raise taxes. In case of an emer-
gency or the military wants more money
for a certain project, the generals or who-
ever wants to speak to the government
can debate for it and they might or might
not get a raise. In Rome, They built mar-
17
http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/Images/arth212images/early_christ
ian/sculpture/arch_constantine/arch.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
velous roads, bridges, and aqueducts. (De-
cline of the Western Roman Empire) This
was really great, except they did not re-
build these structures and get new tech-
nology after a while. In Vulcania, the peo-
ple will build big up to date structures and
they will replace after a while to make
sure they are safest and more efficient.
Also, for the military there will be special-
ized mechanics to create new technology
and weapons to Vulcania the advantage
against invading tribes and cities. If the
people Vulcania can keep their money
level under control and be able to create
new technology their civilization will be
successful.
18
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
As a [person] believes, so will the person act.
- Sam Harris
CHAPTER 3
19
Belief Systems
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
SECTION 1
In a civilization there will be many prob-
lems, some easy to figure out and some
harder. It will be easier to answer these
questions by looking at what you believe
in. This is where religion comes in and all
of the rules to live by, according to each
religion. There are many religions and be-
lief systems but some of the bigger ones
are Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucian-
ism. Belief systems and Religions are im-
Impact of Belief Systems
20
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
portant for a successful civilization be-
cause it will keep things in order and help
the people of their civilization make bet-
ter choices in life.
To better understand the role of belief sys-
tems within a civilization and how they
can influence the actions and decisions of
a people, consider the following moral di-
lemma:
In Europe, a woman was near death from
a special kind of cancer. There was one
drug that the doctors thought might save
her. It was a form of radium that a drug-
gist in the same town had recently discov-
ered. The drug was expensive to make,
but the druggist was charging ten times
what the drug originally cost him to pro-
duce. He paid $400 for the radium and
charged $4,000 for a small dose of the
drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz,
went to everyone he knew to borrow the
money and tried every legal means, but he
could only get together about $2,000,
which is half of what it cost. He told the
druggist that his wife was dying, and asked
him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later.
But the druggist said, "No, I discovered
the drug and I'm going to make money
from it." So, having tried every legal
means, Heinz gets desperate and consid-
ers breaking into the man's store to steal
the drug for his wife.
In this situation, if Heinz were a Buddhist
he would probably not break into the
store and steal the drugs. In the Buddhism
religion, the people are supposed to pro-
mote good actions and prevent bad ac-
21
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
tions. The Buddhists also want to live a
life of selflessness and nonviolence. Believ-
ing in a religion while fighting this problem
would help Heinz make
a good choice. In the
eightfold path, it states,
Do not kill, steal, or
lie (Frey 159). Stealing
the drug to treat his
wife would definitely
be breaking one of
their beliefs. One of
the four noble truths
is that Suffering is pre-
sent in all things, and
nothing lasts forever.
Heinz might have to
take a loss, and realize
that everything is not
going to last forever, and it is time for his
wife to die. In this situation if Heinz were
a Buddhist, he should not break into the
shop and get the
drugs.
If Heinz were a Hindu
in this situation he
would definitely con-
sider breaking into the
store to steal the drug.
In Hinduism, they be-
lieve that every living
thing has a soul and
that they should care
for every one of them,
especially your wife.
Frey states, To follow
ones dharma means
to perform ones du-
22
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060627052514/lostpedia/imag
es/3/38/Wheel.gif
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
ties and so to live as one should. (148).
Heinz needs to do what he is supposed to
do, and one of those things to protect and
take care of his wife. The Hindus strongly
believe in marriage and losing Heinzs wife
would be bad. If Heinz was not a Hindu
while in this situation it would be harder
to make a decision for what to do. If
Heinz were a Hindu trying to figure out
what to do in this problem, he would
more likely break into the store and get
the drugs to save his wife.
Most religions affect the way a persok n
lives, especially when it comes to making
the right choice according to the belief
system. Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confu-
cianism are some major religions in the
world, and some of the ways really influ-
ence an average day in their life. Belief sys-
tems are important in civilizations to help
guide the people to the right decisions
and make life better.
23
Arena
Library
Government Building
Church
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
Role of the Catholic Church and its
Belief System in Medieval Europe
The Roman Catholic Church in Medieval
Europe grew in both economic and politi-
cal power after the collapse of the West-
ern Roman Empire in 476 C.E. The Roman
Catholic Church collected a tax, or tithe.
Everyone that was Catholic was expected
to give 10% of what they made to the
church. The church became very wealthy
from these donations. Also, the church
was given lots of land from monarchs or
wealthy lords. They also gained some land
by force. Frey states, By the year of 1050,
it (The Roman Catholic Church) was the
largest landholder in Europe (33). The
church also grew a lot in political power
too. During the Middle Ages, the pope and
nobles where the only people that could
read Latin so they would read the letters
to the King that other villages had sent
them. As stated by Frey, As a result, they
kept records for monarchs and became
trusted advisors,(33). The nobles where
the only ones who could communicate
with god, and so they told the people the
24
http://madamepickwickartblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/rome22.jp
g
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
laws that God wanted them, to follow,
so they followed them in the hope of
reaching salvation. The church continued
to grow in economical and political power
after the collapse of the Western Roman
Empire throughout the Middle Ages.
The Catholic Church influenced peoples
thoughts and deeds during the Middle
Ages by bribing them with salvation and
the cancelation of their sins. In the Middle
Ages the Catholics went on many Cru-
sades to claim Jerusalem for themselves.
To get all these people to join in on the
Crusades, Pope Urban II promised every-
one that went, that all their sins would be
canceled and they would achieve salvation.
Everyone Then wanted to go on the cru-
25
http://www.kidspast.com/images/medieval-priest.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
sade because they wanted salvation and
get into heaven. Frey states, Pilgrims went
on these jour-
neys to show
their devotion to
God, as an act of
penance for
their sins, or in
hopes of being
cured of an ill-
ness (120).
Farmers, knights,
peasants, and
more people
went on these
crusades for
these hopes and
to show their honor to God. This meant
that they could pretty much do anything
and still get into heaven though. Some peo-
ple might just go just so they could get
into heaven and not actually fight. The
Catholic Church changed many peoples
thoughts and deeds in the middle ages es-
pecially with the crusades.
Belief System of Vulcania
In an effort to create a successful civiliza-
tion, the people of Vulcania have estab-
lished their own belief system. It shares
similar religious beliefs and teachings with
other world religions and helps the peo-
ple of Vulcania keep things in order and
help the people of their civilization make
better choices in life. Here are some ex-
amples.
26
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/com
mons/thumb/3/32/Gian_Lorenzo_Bernini_
-_Portrait_d'Urbain_VIII.jpg/220px-Gian
_Lorenzo_Bernini_-_Portrait_d'Urbain_V
III.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
The first tenet in the belief system of Vul-
cania is called Kwadi. This first tenet em-
phasizes faith towards one god and honor-
ing him. The people of Vulcania practice
this belief by praying twice a day at dawn
and dusk, towards the church. They also
go to church on Sundays. This is their day
of holiness and their day to refresh them-
selves. This belief helps the people of Vulca-
nia stay loyal to their god and know that
he is watching over them so they will act
nicely. As stated by Frey, The meaning of
Shahadah is that people not only believe
in God, but also pledge their submission
to him (96). This tenet connects to the
First Pillar of Islam because the first pillar
of Islam emphasizes faith. Kwadi also
strongly emphasizes faith to God. The first
pillar of Islam is practiced by praying five
times a day; Kwadi is like the First Pillar of
Islam, except the people of Vulcania only
pray twice a day. This will help the civiliza-
tion of Vulcania by making it a friendlier
place.
The second tenet in the belief system of
Vulcania is called Nedu. The second tenet
27
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~englin/N/newton_on_trent_st_pe
ter.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
of Vulcania emphasizes respectfulness and
treating everyone the same in Vulcania. To
emphasize this, the people of Vulcania fast
from dawn to dusk every Monday. When
people do this they realize what it is like
to be poor and have no money or food,
they will now know what their life is like
and might care for them more. Frey states,
The holy month of Ramadan encourages
generosity, equality, and charity within the
Muslim community (99). This tenet is
kind of like Siyam, the Fourth pillar of Is-
lam because Ramadan is part of the
Fourth pillar of Islam. In Ramadan people
fast for a month from sunrise to sunset.
Both of these beliefs you fast and learn to
care for the poor. In Vulcania more people
will donate money or care for the home-
less, therefore making it a better civiliza-
tion, with healthier and nicer people.
The third tenet in the belief system of Vul-
cania is called Yama. Yama encourages the
people of Vulcania to relax and concen-
trate themselves by meditating. While
http://bhikkhucintita.les.wordpress.com/2011/11/buddhaanddisciples.jp
g
28
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
practicing meditating, the people of Vulca-
nia sit on their knees with their back
straight and hands on their knees. They
think about nothing, and forget about all
the bad things in their life and be thankful
for the good things. They then concen-
trate themselves and calm themselves
down if they have any anxiety or fear. They
perform this action twice a day to help
the people of Vulcania be thankful for
what they have and stay focused through-
out the day. As stated by Frey, Focus your
mind with practices such as meditation
(159). In the eightfold path, it empathizes
Right concentration. The Buddhists would
meditate and focus their mind on good
things to do. In Vulcania the people also
meditate and concentrate themselves. This
will help Vulcania by making it a more
peaceful and focused civilization.
29
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
A person may die, nations may rise and fall, but an
idea lives on.
CHAPTER 4
30
Ideas
- John F. Kennedy
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
SECTION 1
A humanist mindset promoted new
ideas during the renaissance because it
emphasized individualism and this led to
many advances in art and sculpture. A hu-
manist mindset wanted people to share
their ideas with many people from differ-
ent civilizations and classes. During the
renaissance, painting had many advances.
Artists now used depth and they gave
their paintings more perspective. Also,
Power of Ideas
31
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
trading and sharing ideas lead to the use
of new oil paints, which made paintings
more realistic. Frey states, [The Renais-
sance painters] wanted to depict real peo-
ple who where posed in lifelike ways and
who showed feelings (326). Many sculp-
tors in the renaissance also wanted to
sculpt realistic people with feelings and
emotions. As stated by Frey, Michelan-
gelos David was installed in the Piazza
della Signoria It became the prized ex-
pression of the Renaissance genius in Flor-
ence (327). When this sculpture was
brought to the city of Florence, it sud-
denly became a town that many people
came to see this magnificent sculpture and
share new ideas. Humanists wanted peo-
ple many different people to mingle and
share with other people what they
32
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/images/h2/h2_55.220.2.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
had done. A humanist mindset promoted
new ideas in many ways during the Renais-
sance.
Many people during the Renaissance
thought that the church was becoming
corrupt from many reasons. One reason
was indulgences. Indulgences were basi-
cally passes that you could buy from the
church and got rid of all your sins. The
church was making a lot of money from
this because a lot of people were buying
it, and a lot of people were mad because
of this. [Martin] Luther felt like the
Church was selling false salvation to un-
educated people (Frey 352). Martin Lu-
ther believed that people only had to fol-
low two sacraments, baptism, and the
Eucharist, to achieve salvation. He handed
out pamphlets about his theory to spread
the word. The church did not like this be-
cause they wanted everyone to follow
their rules not Martin Luthers. To deal
with Luther, the Catholic Church excom-
municated him. Even though the church
condemned his ideas, he started his own
church called the Lutheran Church.
33
http://www.jewishhistory.org/wp-content/
uploads/95thses-300x210.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
In all civilizations there are going to be
laws and beliefs that people dont agree
with, especially with a humanist mindset.
In Vulcania, a humanist mindset would
question the belief of praying twice a day.
They might all think that praying once a
day would be better and try to convince
everyone to believe their theory. To deal
with people like this, we would first con-
sider their idea to see if is good or not. If
the idea was not an idea that the govern-
ment or church liked, the people of Vulca-
nia would force the person to say that
their theory is wrong or else they will be
excommunicated. Just like Luther, In Janu-
ary 1521, he was excommunicated (Frey
353), from the church. Even if he still is try-
ing to enforce his ideas after they are ex-
communicated, they will be executed. This
will make for a successful civilization be-
cause the church will take in good ideas
and reject bad ideas so the civilization will
always be growing.
The individual of the past that I am going
to transport into the civilization of Vulca-
nia is Leonardo De Vinci. Leonardo was
the creator of the Flying Machine and
many other inventions. Also he was a
painter, and painted the very famous
34
http://ahduvido.com.br/wp-content/uploads/leonardo-da-vinci.jpg
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d
Mona Lisa. He was very innovative and
creative, and throughout the Renaissance
he continued to invent more and more
things. If Leonardo were in the civilization
of Vulcania, there would be many muse-
ums with art, sculptures, and new inven-
tions. This would bring many people to Vul-
cania to see these magnificent works of
art. Therefore the people of Vulcania
would have to build hotels, and they
would make lots of money. If Leonardo
De Vinci were transported to Vulcania, he
would help the civilization make more
money and be successful.
35
Peck, Joseph Monday, June 2, 2014 2:51: 43560PM ! Pacic Daylight Time 70:56:81:af:9c:0d

You might also like