Page 223 "Sources from the Past" Answer

The story from the Ashokavadana would appeal to early Buddhists, firstly, because it shows the King Ashoka prostrating himself to the Buddha and respecting Buddhist monks. This probably increased the Buddhist religion's popularity as it showed that the king endorsed their religion. Another reason that the Buddhists would have liked this story is because King Ashoka is undermining the importance of the caste system. He is saying that everyone should be equal in class and that people should only be judged and treated based on their qualities, just as the Buddhists as preached. For these reasons, this story must have appealed to the Buddhist monks who probably took pride in the king's endorsement.

Chinese Dynasties map

Indian dynasties vs. Chinese dynasties

Chinese political systems were much more successful than the Indian ones. Chinese rulers such as Qin Shi Huang Di imposed strict, multi-leveled bureaucracies to help them manage a large empire, by dividing up tasks among officers who report to the emperor or to another superior. In this way, the emperor's orders could be carried out quickly and efficiently as they spread down the chain of command. Because of this structured bureaucracy, the Chinese were able to maintain control of a large empire and assimilate conquered people easily. On the other hand, the Indian rulers had trouble maintaining a centralized, imperial government. Although the Mauryan empire did have an organized bureaucracy, they could not maintain it because of financial difficulties, stemming from large salaries to soldiers and bureaucrats. In addition, the Gupta dynasty in India differed completely in political organization. Instead of having a centralized bureaucracy that ruled over the whole empire, the Guptas left most of government control in the hands of the allies in the regions of their empire. Because if this political structure, nomadic invaders were able to easily split the seams of their politically disconnected empire.

Mencius vs. Xun Zi

Mencius believes that humans are just naturally good and are born as good people. He believes that all men are born with and maintain benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and knowledge. He also thinks that all men want to do good to others and do not want to witness suffering. Mencius holds a very positive view of human nature.
Xun Zi, on the other hand, believes that human nature is bad. He believes that all men are born evil and only care about what they want and how they are going to get it. He says that since all men will be striving to get what they want, there will be inevitable chaos and disorder. Xun Zi claims that good is a human product and can only be reached through the teaching of teachers and conformity to the culture. Xun Zi obviously holds a very pessimistic and cynical view of humanity.
If forced to choose between the two philosophies, I would have to side with Mencius, although both are seriously flawed. I would line up with Mencius, because I believe that all men are born good and that the capacity to be benevolent and righteous is a part of human nature. Unfortunate circumstances or occurrences cause a person to start to turn evil and do bad things, not merely because they are human, as Xun Zi claims. I also side with Mencius when he states that it is essential for men to sympathize with other humans and to feel distress for them.

Confucianism

1) I believe that, although Confucianism was never meant to be a body of religious thought, it could be considered a religion. One definition of religion is worded, "a specific fundamental set of beliefs and 
practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects." Using this definition, Confucianism would definitely fit the standards as its beliefs and practices were followed by many.


2) I think that the reading supports that people are born neutral and must be taught properly so they will become good. One example is when it is said: "If they be led by virtue, and uniformity sought to be given them by the rules of propriety, they will have the sense of shame, and moreover will become good." This quote shows that if the people are led the right way, they will learn morals and will become good. A second quote states, "If for three years he does not alter from the way of his father, he may be called filial." This shows how people are born neutral and one consideration that goes into whether they are good or bad is depending on how they treat their elders and parents. A last example that supports people being born neutral is, "Let him advance the good and teach the incompetent." This supports that people aren't born good or bad and stuck that way because it is stating that if the incompetent, bad people are taught good morals, they will seek virtues just as diligently as good people.

Persian Empires Map

Page 176 "Source from the Past" Answer

 What assumptions does Zarathustra make about human nature and the capacity of human beings to make morally good choices out of their own free will?

I think that Zarathustra assumes that human nature is composed of both good and evil and will always be. He believes that human beings have the choice of choosing the path of evil and lies or the path of good and truthfulness. He assumes that humans will choose the path of good and will make morally good choices instead of going the way of Angra Mainyu. Zarathustra assumes that human beings will want salvation as opposed to punishment.

History Head comments

Yo Shams! I like the symmetry you got going with the placement of your pictures. The internal pictures don't really seem to fit inside the head, so you may have wanted to make them a little smaller. A similarity between Mesoamerica and Mesopotamia is that revolt and war were prevalent in the society (but I'm sure this is the same for all societies.) A difference would be that the Mayans in Mesoamerica engaged in bloodletting rituals while societies in Mesopotamia did not partake in this sort of sacrifice. Also, since I can't really make out the details of the picture, I'm curious to know where you got a picture of the bloodletting rituals.
Wonderful job!
- Nick




How's it going, Jordan? Your project looks splendid. I love how the timeline shows the major dynasties of the ancient Chinese. One suggestion would be to make your key a teensy bit bigger so everyone could see and enjoy it. One similarity that Mesopotamia and China have in common is that they both developed metallurgy at some point. A difference is that dynasties mostly ruled in China, while in Mesopotamia this wasn't so common. Since I can't really read the key I am curious to what the combination lock and the boxing woman represent.
Magnificent job!
- Nick

History Head key

Internal

1.    Designing ancient irrigation system

2.    Learning early Sumerian cuneiform

3.    Following Hammurabi’s laws

4.    Growing one of the main crops of Mesopotamia (wheat)

5.    Managing slaves

External

1.    Tigris River determining settlement patterns

2.    Ten Commandments representing religion

3.    Threat of Assyrian attack

4.    Trade routes to other parts of Eurasia

5.    Kings and other social classes

History Head picture

Test and Essay Reflection

I do not think my test or essay went very well. I was only certain on a little more than half of the test questions. When I got the essay question, I realized I had focused too hard on studying some things, such as religion and metallurgy, and had not studied other aspects, such as social and political hierarchies. I believe I was somewhat ill-prepared for both of these assessments. Going into the next test or essay I would take care to study the assigned chapters more completely and efficiently. As I was trying to read the chapters to prepare, I found myself unfocused and I feel I wasn't able to absorb all the information I needed to. It's a bummer I'm off to a sub-par start, but I'm hoping to learn from it and only go uphill from here.