Submitted By: SHEENA JOY P SABIJON

Chinese Civilization

Chinese Civilization is known to have such a very long history. Both turmoil and
triumph circulated in between their different periods of mostly dynastic rulings. This
ancient civilization abounds in their contribution to the modern day society such as
technology and moral teachings. They are successful in keeping and maintaining their
culture and beliefs that it is still practiced in the modern day China.
Almost as old as some other civilizations like the Egyptian and Romans, Chinese
civilization were able to build such a strong ethnic bond in their historical eras. By a strong
ethnic bond, this does not imply however that China did not undergo such chaos or
disorder during the times of the different rulings from the different dynasties. As much as
other civilizations underwent certain challenges like war and famine, the Chinese
civilization was no different. However, despite these odd circumstances their race and
culture survived that it still persists up until this very present day.
It is undeniable that Chinese’ ability to continuously perpetrate the continuity of
their race is historically amusingly. A famous historian once wrote, "The Empire long
united must divide; long divided, must unite". This saying is explained by the following:

In Ancient China, the division of their empires in certain periods were often
caused by the frequent invasion and search for power of different leaders of ethnic
tribes. These circumstances caused the erratic shift in their culture and practices
which greatly contributed to their modern day solidarity. This back and forth
movement of their civilization profoundly affected their perceptions regarding their
unity as a race and thus, they have created the belief that even if leaders changed,
in general, life would go on as it always had. This Idea might have influenced their
belief that despite what circumstance they are in, it would soon turn out to be
promising for them. This may be the reason that even though China had
undergone several tumultuous times in the past, this did not stop them from
building an empire so great that it was carried over to many centuries.
 Simply speaking, history is seen as a cyclical flow rather than points and periods
of time in China (Anonymous, 2010). By cyclical flow, it means that their people have
seen and realized that the continuous changing circumstances they experienced would
somehow be part of the whole process gearing towards the integration and benefit of their
whole race.
Considering that we have already tackled the enormous swirling history of the
Chinese civilization, let’s begin to list some of their great contributions that range from
their inventions down to their values.

Technology
In terms of technology, acupuncture, porcelain, paper and gunpowder were some
of the best technological inventions contributed by the Chinese in any part of the world.

Acupuncture is method of relaxation and healing widely used around the world.
The art of porcelain making was also widely practice in the ancient times. The Chinese
were able to make various beautiful sculpture by mastering the art of porcelain making.
On the other hand, the creation of paper is much ringed into the Chinese ancestry. They
were the first to initiate a paper-making industry, mass producing thousands of paper for
the use of a great number of population in China. Lastly, the creation of Gunpowder was
widely influential in those days as it served various purposes such as a propellant in
firearms, artillery, rockets, and fireworks, and as a blasting powder in quarrying, mining,
and road building. Gun powder was widely traded and reached the western part of the
world where it was widely used mainly for warfare and combat.

Values and Tradition

The traditional cultural values that influence the psyche of the Chinese people are
harmony, benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom, honesty, loyalty, and filial piety
(Lihua, 2013). As much as these people put emphasis on such, they are also impelled to
act and behave according to their values. On another note, Chinese put great value on
impression management. With this, they are highly concerned with other people’s
perception of them they strive their best to manage other people think of them. Consider
this for example; in the ancient times, Chinese men were highly expected to excel in
almost everything they pursue (whether it be school or career). They as well were
expected to solely provide for their family and do all the labor. If in any case they will not
be able to do so, they were said to “lose face” in front of other people. This expectation
of them doing well in almost everything created competition among their fellow men that
eventually lead to the chaotic strive for power for some leaders. Evident of this would be
the different ethnic landlords in china who fought for years just to conquer and control
various clans. Even though superiority is a common need or manifestation by numerous
races (not only Chinese), it is clear that one of the drives forcing men to fight for superiority
is the fear that they may “lose face” against others.

On the positive side, Chinese are also well honed in the values of respect and
kindness. They are taught to value woman and be sensitive to their needs. Even though
women take little role in a typical Chinese home back in time, they are cared for by their
sons and being provided their needs. Respect is also manifested when they bow down to
their emperors. Bowing down does not only mean such but also signifies submission and
dedication to the one powerful leader. Bowing was such an important act that those who
fail to do such will be penalized depending on the severity of the defiant action. Kindness
on the other hand is showed in their delicate or subtle choice of words. As a child, they
are trained to be kind to their fellow colleagues and avoid any kind of disagreement as
much as possible. Despite the fact that there were several disputes in their leaders of
dynastic rulings, the ancient Chinese highly value harmony that they were taught about it
early in school.
Submitted By: SHEENA JOY P SABIJON

Age of Enlightenment

The age of enlightenment is manifested by a tremendous shift of morals and

principles. It marks the beginning of an age where scientific advances abounded and the
use of reason came to its peak. It is the age of questioning dogmatic authority and
overthrowing irrational rulings which perpetrated numerous wars and rebellion. Aside
from the prosperity of ideas, this age is also known to have produced such impressive
thinkers such as Voltaire, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau,
Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Isaac Newton, and Thomas Jefferson. Their individual contributions
inspired numerous people around the world including Philippines’ national hero, Jose Rizal.
Rizal’s exposure to the Enlightenment period around the seventeenth to eighteenth century drove
him to question Spain’s colonial ruling. With the abundant influence of the philosophical thinkers
of this age, let’s now tackle their individual contributions to discover the reason behind their impact
on the rich history of the people around the world.

Thomas Hobbes
Hobbes pioneered absolutism for the sovereign but believe as that equality is the right of all men.
He believed that political communities should be based on social contract and people should
surrender some of their freedom to submit to an authority leader.
John Locke
Locke advertised a different type of government. He believed that people are best serve in a
government where they would have a representative whose purpose is to serve as a voice for
their needs. He therefore advocated a representative type of government
Voltaire
Voltaire promoted the principles religion and freedom of expression as well as the separation of
church and state. His’ writing were popular and reached many readers for it exposed the injustices
of the Catholic Church
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
This philosopher as well advocated a democratic form of government in which he openly
expressed the importance of people’s will.
David Hume
Hume is a Scottish philosopher who believed that humans are a bundle of sensations with no true
selves. His ethics were based on emotions rather than principles
Immanuel Kant
As a German philosopher, Kant campaigned for a rationalistic thought by creating theories about
human anatomy and ignited stages of later philosophical movements
Adam Smith
Smith was a Scottish philosopher founded the “Theory of Advertising” which laid one the
foundation for free market economists
Isaac Newton
He was an English physicist and mathematician who founded classical calculus. His discovered
the laws of motion and set forth a breakthrough in the field of astrophysics and mechanics
Thomas Jefferson
Jefferson wrote “The Declaration of independence and also advocated that equality is a
fundamental human right.