The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [46]
The ancients knew the sophists spewed evil. Learn to recognize “spin,” and political lies affording the listener nothing in the way of accurate information. In Athens, the sophist led people astray by great oratory. Demand substance, not great oratory. The ancient Greeks taught us the significance of the individual, and the tyranny of the collective. The greatest political ideal ever espoused is: the individual is greater than the state. Never let that ideal die. Object if people say the government must substitute its collective decisions in place of individuals’ decisions. Whenever a government substitutes its thinking for your thinking, its decisions for your decisions, it is saying the government is greater than you are. Object in every way possible! Economic freedom, capitalism, private property, and political freedom brings more prosperity and happiness to the average person than any other system. Trusting the government brings tyranny, regulation of everyday life, and restrictions on private property. Taxes are another way government controls individuals. Money is power, and when the government takes your money, it takes your power to decide. As taxes increase, tyranny increases. Write letters and speak out in public, challenge people pushing the collective viewpoint, run for office, and vote against all saying the individual must bow to the state. The Greeks knew the importance of the individual; now, 2500 years after Marathon, it is your turn to step up and stand against any person or entity claiming the government is superior to you. Tell all who will listen that you are superior to any government. Remember Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis where vastly outnumbered men said no to tyranny. They sacrificed all, you can at least sacrifice a few moments of your time to add your voice to freedom’s call.
Books and Resources:
The History of the Ancient World, From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome, Bauer, Susan Wise, 2007, WW Norton & Company. Great book, easy reading, fun stories.
With Arrow, Sword, and Spear, A History of Warfare in the Ancient World, Bradford, Alfrred, 2001, Fall River Press. Excellent accounts of ancient world, and goes far beyond warfare.
The NIV Study Bible, Zondervan Press, 2002. Good historical information.
The New Penguin History of the World, Roberts, 2007 Penguin Books. One of the best histories around. You can’t go wrong with Roberts.
The Outline of History, The Whole Story of Man, Wells, H.G., revised by Raymond Postgate, 1956, Doubleday & Company. Great maps and illustrations.
The War Chronicles, From Chariots to Flintlocks, Cummins, J., 2008, Fair Winds Press.
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Gibbon, Edward, 2005, Phoenix Press (Abridged Edition). Hard to read, but a classic none-the-less.
Guns, Germs, and Steel, The Fates of Human Societies, Diamond, Jarad, 20005, WW Norton.
Books and References on Philosophy
The Essential Philosophy, Everything You need to Understand the World’s Great Thinkers, Mannion, 2006, Adams Media Corporation. (The title is overdone, but the book is excellent)
Philosophy For Beginners, Osborne, 1992, Writers and Readers Publishing. (Philosophy in cartoon form, a lot of fun and one can actually learn a thing or two).
Chapter 3
The Dark Ages 455 to 1400
Figure 13 Barbarian Invasions of Rome 100-500 AD
Ancient history has reached its end. This is the start of a new era. As pointed out above, most scholars think these times, between the fall of the Western Roman Empire (about AD 455) and the Renaissance (about AD 1400 to 1500) should not receive a pejorative moniker.[56] The Middle Ages is a neutral term resulting in a non-judgment