西方文化論文

TheMisunderstandingoftheMiddleAgesandItsSignificancetoModernSocietyAbstract:Thispaperfocusesontheviewthat“TheMedievalTimesofEuropeisaDarkenAge,”andanalyzesthatageindetailsfromfiveaspects:politics,economy,culture,educationandart.Pointouttheaboveviewmaybebiased.AsfortheMiddleAge,mostofuswouldlinkedtheagetobloodywarsandturbulentsociety,allthepeopleareruledbytheChristianity,thenoblecontinuouslysqueezethepoor.Theinstitutionandprincipleofthesocietywasbrokenandsodidlaw.Buteverycoinhastwosides,theMiddleAgehasitsuniquefeatureandsignificance.FromthefiveaspectswecouldhaveanewopiniontotheMiddleAge.Keywords:theMiddleAges;thedarkenage;misunderstanding;accomplishment摘要：本文圍繞“中世紀的歐洲是一個黑暗的時代”這個普遍的觀點，從政治、經(jīng)濟、文化、教育、藝術五個方面來說明闡釋這個觀點有失偏頗。提到中世紀，大部分人會想到一個充滿戰(zhàn)亂和動蕩的時期，中世紀的歐洲被神權所籠罩，貴族不斷壓榨窮苦百姓，社會的制度、規(guī)則都被破壞，法律遭到踐踏，人民陷于黑暗之中。然而任何事物都有兩方面，中世紀的歐洲真的黑暗嗎？看似黑暗，實則蘊藏著無比燦爛的光明。本會從五個方面展現(xiàn)中世紀的光明，帶來對中世紀新的認知。關鍵詞：中世紀；黑暗時代；誤解；成就

BackgroundInthehistoryofhumancivilization,theMiddleAges(476AD-1453AD)isconsideredbymanytobethe“darkenage.”Atthatage,theChristianchurchdominatestheEuropeandrestrictsthedevelopmentofcultureandthought,alsothechurchmakessomewarsandconflictsamongtheEuropecountry,thenthereappearsthehereticandmanysocialmovements,thesethingsaredefinitelydarkenough.However,weneedtoanalyzetheMiddleAgeintheotherview,everycoinhastwosides,sodoestheMiddleAge.AsDampiersaid“Themedievaltimesisthecradleofmoderntimes”.Fromthefiveaspects:politics,economy,culture,educationandart,thispaperelaboratesthesignificanceoftheMiddleAge,soastocompletelydenythe“darkperiod”argument.PoliticsDuringtheMiddleAges,thereappearsanewpoliticalsystem——feudalism.Itappearsin8thcenturyinCarolingiandynastyaftertheslaverysystemcometoanend.Feudalism,anewpoliticstructureofthesociety,itmeansanewrelationshipbetweenthekingandthenobleandthecivilian.Thewholecountryisunderthekings’control,butlandisdividedintomanypartandcontrolledbythenobleclass,thenmanydependentcountryappears,thisisnewtothatage,thepowerisalsodisintegratedwiththeland,inotherword,thecountries’politicalpowerisholdbymanynobleclass,andtherelationshipbetweenthekingandthenobleclassisakindofattachments.TheFeudalismendedattheendoftheMiddleAges,EnglandestablishedanewMonarchyin1485.ThesystemoftheMiddleAgesleaveauniqueheritagetothewestinpolitics,thisistheequalrelationshipbetweenrightsandobligations.Ifthekingwantsmoreheneedstodomorethingsforthenobleclass.Thisequalrelationshipisbasedonthedividedpoliticalpower.Forexample,atthebeginningof13thcentury,thekingofEngland——John,inordertocontrolmorelandintheEurope,hecontinuouslydeclareswartotheothercountriesandspendalargeamountofmoney,toraisemoremoneyheraisesthetaxratebutbreakstheconvention.Nowthekingwantsmoremoneythanbefore,thisraisedthedissatisfiedofthenobleclassandtheystandtogetherandfightawartotheking.Atlast,thekingwasdefeatedandwasforcedtosigntheGreatCharterwhichwasdraftedbythenobleclass.TheaimoftheGreatCharterwastomaintainthefreedomofthenoble,alsotheirprivilege.Afterthatwar,theGreatCharterwillbeusedtomaintainpeople’sfreedomwhenthekingwantstogetmore.Withthetimegoes,theGreatCharterwasreceivedbythepeople,andlatersomeclausesoftheCharterbecamethecrucialprincipleoftheBritishconstitution.TheGreatChartermaintainsthefreedomofthenoble,butitusedtoprotectthecivilian’srightsagainandagain,theinfluencehaschangedwiththetimegoes.Later,eachclassusesthistoprotecttheirrights,thenfreedomownedbyeverypersoninthecountry.Forus,theMiddleAgeisfarfromourlife,butthespiritofthattimeisstillinfluenceoursociety.TodaythespiritsoftheGreatCharterhavebeenthesourceandmilestoneoftheAmericaandBritishconstitution.Inthiscase,somemoderndemocraticsystemsarelinkedwiththesystemoftheMiddleAge.So,theMiddleAgehasgreatinfluencetooursocietyandcontendsgreatvalue.EconomyAgricultureisthemaineconomicactivitiesofthattime.Almost80%-90%peoplelivinginruralareas.ManoristhetypicalexampleofFeudalism,itbelongstothefeudallordandincludesthelandandthepeopleonthatland.Theserfisdifferentwiththeslaves,heispartlyindependentandserveforthelord.Atthebeginning,thelordisalwaysordertheserftoworkmoretimeforhim,butwiththetimegoes,theworktheserfneedtodoisbecomingaconvention,sothelordcannolongerordertheserftodomorethings,thentheserfhavetheirowntimetofarmtheirlandandmakeliving.Themorehedid,themorehegets.At12thcentury,themoneyrentappearsinthemanor.Itstartstoreplacethelaborworkonthelords’land.Thisdrivestheserfworksmorehardintheirlandandearnmoremoney,thenpaysometotheirlordandtheywillbefreeoflaborwork.Inotherwords,theserfdomisbreak-up.ThebusinessofEuroperevivesatthe11thcentury.Thencitiesandhandicraftflourishedwiththeboomingbusiness.Thedevelopmentofindustryandcommerceneedspeopleandfreedomofthepeople.Thispushesmanycitiesgetsomeprivilegesfromthelordthroughredeem.Thenitbecameamunicipalityandhastherightstodevelopitsindustryandotherbusinessandfreesomeperson.Allofthisdrivingthedevelopmentofthebusinessofthattime.Thelatermedievalage,thecrosslandandoceantradehasmadeagreatprogress.Themerchantofdifferentnationsspendtheirtimeinandouteachcity.Theboomingbusinessalsopromotesthechangeoftechnology.Inordertosavemoneyandreducetherisk,partnershipsbecameamainmethodtobusinesswhichlayafoundationofthelaterjoint-stockcompany.At14thcentury,thebanksstarttoservethesociety.Thismadethebusinessactivitiesmoreconvenienceandachievedfurtherdevelopment.Laterthedraftstartsusinginpeoples’life,themerchantusingthedrafttocompletetheirbusinessandcreatedmoreopportunityforexchange.Asforthesenewthings,theyallpushedthesocietytofurtherdevelopandconvenientourlife,theyarethefoundationofmodernbanksandcities.Onthispoint,theMiddleagehasgreatinfluencetoourmodernlifeandtheyarenotdarkenageatall.CultureTheMiddleAgealsoleavesussomeculturalheritages.Firstly,itistheestablishmentoftheeducationsystem.ThereisnodoubttheestablishmentoftheuniversityisthemostimportantthingoftheMiddleAge,itisalsooneofthegreatcontributiontoallthehumanbeings.Throughuniversity,thesplendidculturalresourcesandspiritualcivilizationinheritedfromgenerationtogeneration.At9thcentury,themedicalresearchcenterwasregardedasthefirstuniversityinEurope,thenParisUniversity,acollegeofNotreDamedeParis.Withtheraiseofacademicatmosphere,thereare80universitiesinEuropeatthe15thcentury.Theuniversitybringssomepowertothesocietyandfosterssomegreatperson,suchasNewton,Galilei,Decareandothers.Untilnowadays,theuniversityhasgreatinfluenceonourworld.Also,itwillbeandforeverchangetheworld.Secondly,itisthefineartoftheage.TheMiddleAgehasgivenussomeartwhichinspiredusall.Forexample,theByzantineArtwhichisrepresentedbyPlazzaSanMarcoandHagiaSophia;theCarolingianArt;RomanArt;GothicArt.AmongthemainartoftheMiddleAge,“Symbolic”isthemainspirit.Differentartisticstylecontaineddifferentmeaning.TheMiddleAgearthasagreatinfluencetomodernartinarchitecture,sculpture,literature,musicandclothes