Homework 10/7

"Does Alexander the Great deserve to be called 'the Great'?  Why or why not? 

No, I do not think Alexander the Great deserved to be called "The Great". Although it is true that he accomplished extraordinary things for a man his age, he was not a kind man. He burned Persepolis, and killed Cleutis in a drunken rage. Clearly, other people wanted him dead. Alexander had great battle skills, and he was a very smart conqueror, but in order for him to be known as "the Great", I think he should show benevolence to his people as well. That way, he will be truly respected.

India and Greece article

India and Greece--What you need to be able to get out of the article

1. What’s McNeill’s argument? McNeill's argument is that India and Greece organized and administrated their societies, which led to profound effects on the history of Indian and European society.

2. How does McNeill define Caste? Does this match up with the textbook’s definition? McNeill defines Caste as a group of people who will eat together and intermarry, while excluding others. Yes, this basically matches with the textbook's definition because the textbook says that people of the same class and job will stick together.

3. What three feelings and thoughts helped to maintain the idea of caste:

        1. Ceremonial purity

        2. Almost everyone could look down on somebody else

        3. Varna

4. Are these convincing? No, because they have to do with racism, and people being "unclean" because of their jobs, which is unfair.

5. Why did caste itself not cause strong political organization to form? Because most people felt most loyal to their castes, so a king or ruler could not command the undivided loyalty to a state.

6. What causes Indian religion to shift from deity pleasing to the act of worship itself? Ancient Indians never widely accepted priests' claims to hold authority over gods and men.

7. How did the Upanishads change the nature of Indian religion and thus the goals of Indian society? The Upanishads conceive the end of a religious life in a radically new way- the ultimate goal was not riches or a long life, it was to escape the endless cycle of reincarnation.

8. How does McNeill define “Territorial Sovereignty?” Self-governing city states that don't belong to any central bureaucracy.

9. Why did Greeks turn away from religion as an explanatory factor in organizing society? The first philosophers used the power of reason, omitted the gods, and sought to explain things with the laws of nature.

10. What was the consequence of the Greeks’ rigid adherence to the polis? A wider segment of the total population was involved in the culture and politics, so classical Greek civilization flowered.

11. Do you buy his argument? Why or why not? Yes, because he supports it with many accurate historical points, therefore proving his point.