Writing is unanimously regarded as a marker of civilization in the sense of civilization as high culture . This insight has never been seriously questioned. What makes writing a marker of civilization is more than its mere function as an information technology. Those who possess writing have always been aware that, beyond the practical use of rendering ideas and words in the written code, it constitutes the realm of symbolic values that make writing an ingredient of cultural ecology. In order to perceive the magnitude of the art of writing as a communicational tool designed by the inventive...

Demokratie ist das am weitesten verbreitete gesellschaftspolitische Modell in der Welt, und es wird lebhaft daruber diskutiert. Wir leben mit allerlei Vorstellungen von dem, was Demokratie ist oder sein konnte, und vieles davon ist mythisch verklart. Wir glauben zu wissen, dass die Griechen der Antike diese Herrschaftsform erfunden hatten. In diesem Buch wird der sprach- und begriffsgeschichtliche sowie allgemein kulturwissenschaftliche Nachweis gefuhrt, dass die Griechen viele Traditionen der vorgriechischen Bevolkerung angenommen und fortgesetzt haben, und dazu gehort auch das Prinzip der...

 Providing a multifaceted view of modern Finland, this book describes its history, culture, language, geography, natural history and the mythology of early peoples. Topics include Fenno-Scandia inhabitants and their environment, traditional naturalism and modern environmentalism, and the salient features of "Finnishness," including an analysis of the Finnish educational system and gender equality. Finland's art, architecture and music are highlighted, along with its peace-keeping missions worldwide. The country's several ethnic groups and their languages are discussed--the Saami,...

This book by renowned anthropologist Harald Haarmann illuminates the acquisition of knowledge, and the meanings underlying forms of knowledge, in a broad temporal scope, ranging from the Neolithic through the modern era. Spiritual knowledge is at the heart of this work, which views myth and religion encoded in Neolithic female figurines and revived in the contemporary "primitive" artwork of artists such as Constantin Brancusi and Henry Moore. Within such a framework, this study employs the knowledge and insights of the relatively new, and very important, interdisciplinary field of...

Contrary to a prevalent belief of the Western world, that democracy, agriculture, theater and the arts were the attainments of Classical Greek civilization, these were actually a Bronze Age fusion of earlier European concepts and Hellenic ingenuity. This work considers both the multicultural wellspring from which these ideas flowed and their ready assimilation by the Greeks, who embraced these hallmarks of civilization, and refined them to the level of sophistication that defines classical antiquity.

Ist Schwarz eine Farbe oder nur Kontrastgeber? Ist Schwarz ein einziger Farbton oder sind es mehrere? Sind Einstellungen zur Farbe Schwarz kulturell gepragt? Wenn man Schwarz sagt, meint man dann tatsachlich auch Schwarz? Es heit, Schwarz ist die am wenigsten verstandene aller Farben. Insofern ist es eine besondere Herausforderung, die Sinngebung der Farbe Schwarz in den kulturhistorischen Landschaften der Welt auszuleuchten. Eben dies wird in dieser Studie angestrebt, wobei der Diskussion uber Farbmetaphorik besondere Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird. Hier werden Erkenntnisse der...

Die Gefahrdung von Kleinsprachen ist eine Thematik, die uber den engeren fachlichen Rahmen der soziolinguistischen Forschung hinaus immer grossere Aufmerksamkeit auch in der Diskussion uber Menschenrechte, insbesondere uber die kulturellen wie politischen Rechte von Kleinvolkern findet. Angesichts der Aktualitat der Existenzbedrohung vieler ethnischer Gruppen und ihrer Sprachen ist es verwunderlich, dass bisher eine Gesamtdokumentation uber diese Ethnosprachen, die es in allen Regionen der Welt gibt, ein Desiderat geblieben ist.
Dies ist die erste umfassende Dokumentation ihrer Art, in...

Plato (ca. 427- ca. 347 BCE), the preeminent Greek philosopher, has been extensively studied. A major field of Plato's comprehensive work is his political philosophy, which is multifaceted and multidimensional. The discourse on gender issues forms an integral part of it. In this context, one is surprised to notice that Plato's elaborations have been interpreted in quite contrasting ways. In some feminist discussions of classical philosophy, Plato's intellectual enterprise is evaluated as reflecting Greek male chauvinism. Such identification carries all manner of stereotyping, and this is...

This study documents various historical instances in the development of the concept 'Common Good'. The author reflects about Plato's theory of Forms, which is infused with the idea of good, as the first principle of being.