Civilization The
concept of civilization
today is not considered a modern concept, but rather it is a very ancient concept since the history of human existence on this earth. For there is no civilization without a human being, and there is no human being without history, and there is no civilization that does not belong to history. As civilization is part of history, and each civilization has its own specific history, and each person has his own civilization. Civilization is also the face of the other for man; It shows the extent of his strength, weakness, and progress.
Civilization was given many definitions by anthropologists. Ralph Piddington said that the civilization of any people is nothing but a package of intellectual and material tools that enable this people to fulfill their social and vital needs by satisfying them, and also enable them to adapt in their environment appropriately.
Edward Taylor also defined civilization as: the complex whole that combines within it all beliefs, values, traditions, laws, information, arts, and any habits, behaviors, or capabilities that an individual in a society can obtain. In the end, civilization can be defined as the material and moral legacy of man who left him in the past.
On which a person relied to complete his life and his current progress, whether it was moral manifestations such as the way of life, daily living, sciences, and knowledge, or material tools and means that remained a trace of his existence such as buildings, coins, and various manual works; Such as porcelain, pottery, and others.
The emergence of civilizations began on tribal foundations, as it derived its extension from the strength of blood and kinship, so the tribe thus formed an urban area with many patterns and customs of its own that regulate the behavior of its members in a single social pattern. Then it began to develop, moving from the tribal domain to the religious domain, which in turn included many tribes. And then it developed into a political sphere that contributed to the merging of isolated groups with other groups. [2] Several theories have been formed throughout history about the emergence of civilizations, and we review the most important of these theories as follows.
Environment theory This theory determines the importance of environmental factors in the emergence and formation of civilizations. This theory came out to the world in the fifth century BC, and many Greek thinkers spoke about it, as they said about the effect of place, water, and the atmosphere on man in his thinking and the nature of his creation. This theory also enumerates some of the basic conditions for the establishment, growth, development, or decline of civilizations, including: the presence of rain, the nature of the soil in terms of its suitability for cultivation, the rise or fall of temperatures, and the nature of the geographical location.
Ibn Khaldun's theory Ibn Khaldun presented his own analysis of the emergence of civilizations, and touched on the clear impact of the environment on the biological characteristics of a person, which determines its impact on his habits, behaviors, mind, and decisions, as he said that the climate has an important and major role in the matter; If the climate in a region is hot, then ideas, customs, and traditions of a solid and hot nature will be born, but if it is moderate, for example, it will result in moderate ideas and traditions, and so on. Ibn Khaldun also described man as a civil being by nature, and called for the importance of sociology and the nature of relationships between people that lead to the emergence of systems that govern societies.
Vico's theory The Italian philosopher Giovanni Battista Vico acknowledges that there must be certain unified laws that contribute to the formation of nations and peoples, and these laws are felt by a class of people or a class of a nation or people, without one being aware of the other. These laws do not come from reason, but rather from "common good" to "ruling without thinking." Fico also says that there were no rational people or philosophers before civilization and the state existed, opposing by saying this the theory of rational philosophers who say that society came with it and was made by rational people.
The theory of race or race came up with this theory, Oswald Tsenglo, in which he explains history according to causality and revealing fate, and said that the emergence of civilizations passes through stages similar to the stages that humans go through. It is considered that the gender factor based on the biological and functional difference between males and females is the basis for evaluating the work that is done within the community. Oswald also says that every culture and civilization has something that distinguishes it and what gives it its own character that no one can compete with and expresses its privacy.
Where research and scientific studies have proven that the human race in terms of biological formation is one case, and that the end of languages for one origin does not mean the assumption of one gender. Also, the element is not what makes civilization, but rather civilization emerges within certain conditions, including environmental, economic conditions, and others.
The Challenge and Response Theory This theory, which was proposed by the British historian Arnold Toynbee, is concerned with the cultural and religious aspect, as it says that difficult circumstances are what establish civilizations as a response to severe challenges, [3] where civilizations do not appear as a result of a specific geographical environment, No innate or biological talents.
Civilization and culture Culture is generally defined as the data and concepts brought by the religious belief that dominates a society, whether that religion is divine or non-heavenly; Where these data and concepts constitute the hidden aspects of culture such as emotional matters and spiritual fields, as for the visible side of culture such as literary, intellectual and artistic products, it is greatly affected by culture.[5] There are several differences between the concepts of civilization and culture, which are
Culture is a will and a perception, and civilization is an end result and a tangible impact. Culture is a general description specific to the individual, and civilization is a description specific to the nation. Civilization is formed and manifested in many systems, such as political systems, and in various inventions, industries and sciences. As for culture, it is evident in philosophies, languages, literature, and humanities in general.
