I use the following definition of soul:
"The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause."
The soul is mutable.
The Great Wall of China is one piece of evidence, and symbol of, soul as survival. It was built to keep the foreign out.
The peasants are the large majority of the Chinese population. The land that the Chinese peasants work is hard. Their lives have been about survival on that land.
Survival is defensive and inward-looking. I find China so.
America's soul is more assertive and outward-reaching.Chinese have not been as exploring a people as Europeans or Americans nor as conquering a people as Europeans.
Chinese are less religious than are Europeans and especially Americans. The religions of Europe and America are transcendent, dominantly Christian. I believe that Judaism and especially Christianity provide the set of values that constitute the souls of Europe and especially America. I attribute exploration and conquest in significant part to the effect of Christianity also.
Confucianism historically has been the most important provider of a set of values in China. Confucianism is not a religion, either transcendent or immanent.(1) It's obligations and responsibilities were guidance to emperor and subject alike to aide the emperor's survival.
I believe that of the fundamental human emotions (2) fear is more prominent throughout Chinese history than in European or American and is directly related to the soul of China, survival.
1. The analytical distinction between transcendent and immanent religions and its importance is due Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Law in Modern Society. Free Press (1977).
2. See for example, http://changingminds.org/explanations/emotions/basic%20emotions.htm.
to be continued.
The soul is mutable.
The Great Wall of China is one piece of evidence, and symbol of, soul as survival. It was built to keep the foreign out.
The peasants are the large majority of the Chinese population. The land that the Chinese peasants work is hard. Their lives have been about survival on that land.
I do not believe that the soul of America is survival. The majority of Americans are not peasants. When the majority of Americans lived off the land the land was more abundant than the land for Chinese.
Survival may be considered an "instinct" or a value. If an instinct I hold that China does not have a value or set of values that is as important in explaining Chinese behavior as is the survival instinct. If a value I hold that it is the preeminent value in a Chinese hierarchy of values. I do not believe that survival in either sense has the same prominence for Americans or Europeans. I believe that there is a set of values that is more important to how Americans and Europeans behave and why they behave as they do.
America's soul is more assertive and outward-reaching.Chinese have not been as exploring a people as Europeans or Americans nor as conquering a people as Europeans.
Chinese are less religious than are Europeans and especially Americans. The religions of Europe and America are transcendent, dominantly Christian. I believe that Judaism and especially Christianity provide the set of values that constitute the souls of Europe and especially America. I attribute exploration and conquest in significant part to the effect of Christianity also.
Confucianism historically has been the most important provider of a set of values in China. Confucianism is not a religion, either transcendent or immanent.(1) It's obligations and responsibilities were guidance to emperor and subject alike to aide the emperor's survival.
I believe that of the fundamental human emotions (2) fear is more prominent throughout Chinese history than in European or American and is directly related to the soul of China, survival.
1. The analytical distinction between transcendent and immanent religions and its importance is due Roberto Mangabeira Unger, Law in Modern Society. Free Press (1977).
2. See for example, http://changingminds.org/explanations/emotions/basic%20emotions.htm.
to be continued.
