LINKS AND RESOURCES • GENERAL EDUCATION

WORLD RELIGIONS & PHILOSOPHIES • COUNTRY & CULTURE GUIDES • WORLD MEDIA • TRANSLATION SITES

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GLOBAL EDUCATION PROJECT

POLICY CASE STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Corrective action must come in the area of increased governmental involvement in the regulation, protection, and use of natural resources.  We do not believe, however, that government involvement alone is the answer.  An equally important part of the solution to global problems is fostering tolerance and cooperation between the world's major religions and cultures.

In order to create a spirit of cooperation it is essential that people of different cultures develop a greater understanding of cultures and peoples that are not their own.  Evidence suggests, for example, that radicalism in the Middle East grows out of misconceptions of Western culture as decadent.  In turn, these misconceptions fuel terrorism and violence, which widen the gulf between Islamic and non-Islamic cultures.

We believe that violence and conflicts between peoples and cultures can be lessened through education and understanding.  It is therefore vital that we study of history, religion, culture, and philosophy from a global point of view.  This is why we have launched our Global Education Project.

LOOKING BEYOND A "WEST IS BEST" CONCEPT OF HISTORY

It has been said that history is the study of the past through the lens of the present.  We believe this is a dangerous point of view.  Time is a great judge of reality.  It is critical that we do not get distracted by potentially short term events in making judgments about the past.  The current dominance of the world by the West is a relatively short-term event when compared with other periods in history.  Maybe it is a "New World Order".  However, this idea has not been tested by time, and as is noted in our study of global indicators (see the Global Indicators Project), the current "New World Order" has critical problems and weaknesses.  Put simply, the "New World Order" is a house of cards that will not continue to stand in the future if drastic changes are not implemented.

Unfortunately, until recently the teaching of history, religion, and philosophy in the West (particularly in the United States) has displayed a dangerous ignorance of non-Western history, leading to misconceptions about the role of the West in world history.  Our goal to take an impartial look at the past and place the West within a global perspective.

Of particular relevance to our study is the connection between the ancient East and West.  There is significant evidence to suggest that classical Greece was very much an ideological melting pot for ideas from the East and the West.  There are, for example, amazing similarities between many of Plato's teachings and ancient Indian philosophy.  According to the Greek historian Herodotus, Indian troops with the Persian army participated in the invasion of Greece.  The Persian Empire, which stretched from the Indus River in the east to the Mediterranean Ocean in the west (see our Map of the Persian Empire), played an immensely important role as a geopolitical and cultural bridge from Asia to Europe. 

Examples of commercial interchange between the East and the West also abound.  The Silk Road was opened in the Third Century B.C.E.  The monsoon winds were discovered at about the same time, leading to a huge expansion of trade between Alexandria, the intellectual capital of the Hellenistic Greek world, and India and China (see our Map of Hellenistic World).  Cleopatra herself dressed in Chinese silks.

From this example it is clear that Ancient Greek culture was thus a fusion of Eastern and Western thought, trade, and interaction.  In seeing societies from a global-historical perspective like this, people can develop a greater appreciation for non-Western visions of politics and culture.

THE ROLE OF AMERICA IN TODAY'S WORLD: THE LESSONS OF HISTORY

The importance of East-West relations is no less significant today than it was in the ancient world.  This is true particularly in the United States.  The U.S. can play a crucial, positive role in today's world if it sees the multicultural nature of its people as an asset and not a liability.  As a truly "world state" in terms of its inhabitants, the United States can serve as an example of people of different faiths and cultures living together in peace.  Unfortunately, however, there are forces in the United States that want to impose on the nation and the world their vision of the one true "American" culture and faith.  Paradoxically, perhaps, the "religious" advocates of this point of view derive from groups like the Assemblies of God, whose "Christian" theological vision only appeared in the last century.

America needs to learn from the political and religious evolution of cultures like ancient Greece as it moved from the Classical era to the Hellenistic era.  Before the geopolitical revolution of Alexander the Great, Greece did not even exist as a unified land.  It was a small collection of city states.  After Alexander unified Greece politically, it became a global force in politics and culture.  And as it expanded, Hellenistic Greece incorporated good ideas from the new lands that it ruled.

In modern-day America, people need to learn more about other cultures and incorporate their good ideas into a global vision of religion and philosophy.  This will not be an easy task.  However, America could point to its nature as a multi-ethnic state to show the world how people can work together.  Immigrant communities and foreign language speakers in the United States could be organized and mobilized in order to get this message of cooperation and tolerance out to the world.

Changing the way that Americans and others see the world is not easy.  We certainly do not suggest that we can do the job alone.  However, we do believe that we can make a positive difference.  We need to expand the network or organizations that we work with.  We also need to boost our research efforts.  It is essential that we get help to meet our goals.  This is why we need your support.

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Common Themes in World Religion

• Religious Tolerance Links
   

• General Religion Sites

• Eastern Philosophers and Religion

• Selected Works of Western Philosophers

• Islamic Links

• Quotations from Ancient India

• Quotations from Islam

YEAR ONE

TOTAL                                                                                                       $135,000

YEAR TWO

TOTAL                                                                                                       $135,000

POLICY CASE STATEMENT • LINKS AND RESOURCES • GENERAL EDUCATION

WORLD RELIGIONS & PHILOSOPHIES • COUNTRY & CULTURE GUIDES • WORLD MEDIA • TRANSLATION SITES

DETAILS OF THE PROJECT • PROJECT BUDGET