History 1000 - Civilization and Social Inequality

Danyela Hickey

HIST 1000

Final Paper

12/20/10

Question #2: Civilization and Social Inequality

        Ethical systems regulate the power struggle amongst people in their societies. They began to form many, many years ago, which eventually lead to barriers created amongst people as well as regulation of the classes. This brought about universal religions as well common ground to people in their communities. Religion played an important roll in these ethical systems as most of them were based on the premise of religion. Religious leaders and authority figures guided the ethical systems that were implemented at this time. Religion became very important as time went on. The Islamic, Christian, and Mongol beliefs flourished after the implementation of strong ethical systems. People began to understand their place in society and their community. Whether that place is of high authority or peasant, everyone had a place once these systems came about. Ethical systems being implemented helped regulate the power struggle in societies, as well as brought about strong religious beliefs in the Islamic, Christian, and Mongol culture.

        Many ethical systems that have been put into practice helped to regulate the power amongst people of authority in each culture. Not only did these ethical systems help to control the roles of power, they divided people into classes. For example the ethical system of Filial Piety set in place by Confucius in ancient Chinese culture, around 470 BCE, regulated the relationships found between the ruler and the ruled, father and son, husband and wife, older sibling with younger sibling, and friend to friend. This Chinese culture practiced the concept of Li, which is a sacred ritual that governs the interactions between individuals. Ethical systems such as this were developed to keep order when people are aware of their manners in such a way that was clearly defined.  Also, caste systems were implemented in early civilizations. For example, in the Vedic culture the caste system could be broken down in this way: the highest authority being the Priests, then the Warriors, then the Peasants, and lastly the Servants at the bottom. Each civilization or society had various ethical systems that were implemented to maintain structure and harmony in a society. It is evident that this brought about order in the communities, but it also divided people. The division of people in each culture is obvious because of the castes systems that were in place. The servants being at the very bottom of the so-called ‘totem pole’ while the high religious authorities could be found at the top. The servants were now nothing more than servants and the high priests ruled the land. In ancient Israel we can find rules and regulations set forth by the religious authorities in order to keep these ethical systems in place. The Ten Commandments, a staple in the Christian religion, for instance could be considered an ethical system in that it is virtually a set of rules that are to be followed in order to keep the peace in a society. Following the rules and regulations put forth by the ethical systems as well as various religions helps maintain structure. It also makes the people aware of the authority figures and guides individuals on the path of peace and harmony.  This brings balance to each and every society, allowing individuals to know their place and importance in their community.

        With these strong ethical systems put in place by various religions, it allowed for the many other religions to flourish and expand their culture. In the expansion of the Mongol Empire, peace was imposed as well as stability and expansion of trade. This allowed for the Mongol Empire to expand and become a more sophisticated and well-oiled machine. The ultimate goal in the expansion of the Mongol Empire was peace. The spread of the Mongol Peace allowed for relationships among different cultures to expand and flourish. Many religions play very important roles in expanding cultures. Another example of a strong religion that brought structure and order to society was Christianity. This was an important ethical system simply because it was the official religion of the Roman Empire. It was rooted in the older tradition of Judaism that has been followed for years and years and had an established founder. Not only that, but Christianity also had a religious text which helped to establish teachings and beliefs in a more direct, universal way. The expansion of the Islamic Caliphate was guided with the help of the religion of Islam. The Islamic religion was spread under the guidance of the Caliphs in their society. Like Christianity, Islam was rooted in an older tradition and had a dominant founder. Also, like Christianity, Islam had a book full of their various religious views and teachings. These strong aspects of religion helped to develop each culture in such a way that peace and structure were of the highest importance. The implementation of these strong religions as well as the integration of ethical systems helped expand each of the mentioned cultures. These religions and ethical systems were significant in the way that each culture now had something to follow and someone to look up to for guidance. Each religion had a strong following that lived by the word of their particular god or spiritual leader. This strong belief for religion helped develop ethical systems to maintain structure and stability amongst each culture. This structure and stability encouraged peace, harmony, and balance in virtually every culture.