12/21 Update

At this point, finished all of chapter 18. Learned a lot more about Mongols and what they did. Also looking for a book to read for the project.

Genghis Khan Movie Reflection

Based on what I have seen in the biography, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals. The Mongols were the last of the nomadic people and were normally assimilated via clans. Because of this, I inferred that they most likely had little exposure to the norms of civilizations such as the Byzantine, which had a code of law. This meant that they did not know the significance of human life and what's considered "right" and "wrong". Some of the things Genghis Khan did was a little insane, like leaving his wife behind to get captured by the invaders (not sure what they're called exactly, but sounded like mercants). But overall, I believe that Genghis Khan was merely a leader trying to acheive his goals, and acted out of the norm because of a lack of law code and civilization.  

"Capitulary de Villis" Passage response (page 448)

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis," how would you characterize conditions of material life in the Carolingian countryside?

On the basis of the "Capitulary de Villis", it is evident that material life had favorable conditions. In the passage, it mentions how stewards had to provide the "greatest care" when preparing food for the lord, and with the "greatest cleanliness". Next, the steward even did math for the lord: "Each steward shall make an annual statement of all our income", which means the lords did not even have to count their profits - other people did it for them. Charlemagne goes on to list all the things they made an annual statement of...which was plentiful, indicated by the amount given in the passage. Lords also received "cushions, pillows, bed clothes, coverings for tables" which just shows how luxurious their lifestyle must have been back then. Finally, Charlemagne mentioned how lords get to keep a large portion of the food available. In conclusion, based on the passage, it can be concluded that material life was luxurious in the Carolingian countryside.    

My awesome maps of postclassical India and Western Europe

Deliverance from Error

In what ways are al-Ghazali's work like Plato's Allegory of the Cave, and where do they diverge?

Al-Ghazali's works are similar to Plato's since they both involve discovering the real reality. For example, Al-Ghazali mentioned "The thirst for grasping the real meaning of things was indeed my habit" to show his curiosity in the subject. Similarly, Plato was skeptical in everything as well. However, the two works differed in that Al-Ghazali's work involved religion, and Plato's did not. Al-Ghazali's work revolved around Islamic faith, since he believed that the truth would be uncovered after death. Whereas Plato did not mention of any religious deity or faith as a method to grasping reality.

Al-Ghazzali - On the Separation of Mathematics and Religion

1. What do the selections on mathematics and the scientific description of smallpox tell you about Islamic values?

The selection states that mathematics has no connection with religious science, and it does not prove nor disprove religion. In addition, the selection goes to illustrate the issues with mathematics. The first issue being that mathematics causes people to think that everything should be as clear or subtle as math, which causes them to incline toward philosophy as opposed to religion. Next, mathematics leads people astray from religion, and promotes skepticism in religious beliefs. Overall, the selections tell me that Al-Ghazzali is trying to say how mathematics and religion should be separated.

2. According to Al-Ghazzali, should mathematics and religion be separated? Why or why not?

According to Al-Ghazzali, mathematics should be separated. In the selections, he mentions the two problems associated with mathematics, both of them causing people to detach from religion. Al-Ghazzali mentions how "Whoever studies this science admires the subtlety and clearness of its proofs", then goes on to say how people who study mathematics incline toward philosophy, and believe that every department should be as precise as mathematics.

Page 358, C&C Baghdad and Constantinople

Classical era Constantinople and Baghdad are similar in that they both are wealthy and have an religious ruler, but differ in that Baghdad is more generous where Constantinople is not.

Constantinople and Baghdod both were very wealthy cities. Benjamin of Tudela described Baghdad having "great buildings of marble and columns of silver and gold" to describe the great extent of wealth in Baghdad. He also mentioned in Constantinople, that there are pillars and lamps of "gold and silver" to also reinforce the opulence of the city. In addition, he also mentioned of an religious ruler in both areas. In Constantinople, he mentioned of an pope, who ruled the church and Rome. Similarily, Baghdad also had an absolute ruler - a caliph, who was the "head of the Muslim religion, and all kings of Islam obeys him". Constantinople and Baghdad were different in terms of generosity. In Baghdad, Benjamin mentioned that the caliph was a benevolent man, who built a hospital for the sick and provided charity for those who came to Baghdad, wether they were "sick or insane". However, Benjamin did not mention of any form of charity or kind acts in Constantinople, and only mentioned of tribute being delivered from the Byzantine to the emperor. But Benjamin did go on to mention how many merchants travelled to Constantinople, which was a busy city, and most likely important for trade. It can be concluded that during the time, Baghdad was most likely more attractive to commoners and poor people due to the charity, but Constantinople attracted more merchants.