Greco-Roman Logic, Daoism, and Christianity

Buddhism As a response to the hierarchy/castes of Hinduism, Buddhism adopted a more egalitarian approach In Buddhism, life is suffering—greed, desire, and material wealth The cure is to rid yourself of such desires and lead a simple, meditated life in which any person could achieve nirvana Monks setup educational establishments, and many moved to monasteries to meditate and separate from society (asceticism) The movement spread via missionaries, The Mauryan Empire and trade routes, mostly to Central Asia, China, and Southeast Asia

Daoism Daoism arose as a nature-based reaction to the political and social emphasis of Confucianism (Laozi and Zhuangzi) They assumed the political system would be indirectly fixed or ran by small communities living harmoniously and self-sufficiently The focus was to harmonize with nature and embrace individuality and creativity, and the natural flow of life Daoists saw themselves as complementary to Confuc., mimicking the yin/yang concept of uniting opposites in harmony Daoism would be profoundly influential in China, starting traditional Chinese medicine (herbs, acupuncture, and exercise), as well as concepts such as feng shui

Christianity Christianity became around 20-33 CE when disciples in Israel began cataloging and following the miracles and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The promise of a Messiah was particularly appealing to the occupied Jews, and Jesus and his followers were quickly opposed by the Roman Empire While Rome attempted to stop Christianity, missionaries such as Paul (later Apostle Paul) engaged in extensive missionary work and traveling While many were oppressed, missionaries and merchants continued to spread the young religion throughout the empire Christianity truly came to prominence when it was later made the official religion of Rome in 380 CE (Edict of Thessalonica), and popularized by Emperor Constantine

Greco-Roman Logic The lasting legacy of Greece lays in the philosophy which dom. Greek, Roman, Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Western society The Greek approach to knowledge was that of constantly questioning, and refinement using logic and empirical observation These writings and concepts of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle would Define Arabic and Western medicine, Science, society, and government These thinkers challenged and questioned the concepts of government, hierarchy, and advocated various democratic and republican institutions