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  1. Last 7 days
  2. mlpp.pressbooks.pub mlpp.pressbooks.pub
    Modern World History Begins in China
    4
    1. Kaitlin1992 02 Sep 2025
      The plague began in central Kyrgystan and killed up to 25 million people in China in the 1330s and 1340s, about 15 years before it first arrived in Constantinople.

      I always assumed the 'Black Plague' originated in Europe so I was surprised to see evidence that the plague began in Kyrgyzstan.

      I always liked science so I researched that bit further and found that traces of the plague bacteria were discovered in the enamel of the deceased buried in Kyrgyzstan, the deceased who were said to have died of pestilence.

    2. Kaitlin1992 02 Sep 2025
      When a student asked him “Is there any one word that could guide a person throughout life?” Confucius replied, “How about ‘reciprocity’! Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.” (Analects XV.24)

      I feel this is a wise bit of advice to consider. Some people tend to be takers without offering anything themselves. Confucius tells us to reciprocate and to not impose on others what we would not do for ourselves. This reminded me of a saying a store manager I knew once said in that nobody should expect from others what they would not do themselves. As a society we would not get very far if we all expected things from others without contributions ourselves.

    3. Kaitlin1992 02 Sep 2025
      Young men who wanted to become civil administrators in China entered training schools that concentrated on calligraphy and the teachings of Confucius.

      Confucius had been a Chinese philosopher.

      This compares to our society in how our laws and secular teachings were influenced by Socretes, Plato, and Aristotle.

    4. Kaitlin1992 02 Sep 2025
      The early establishment of a professional administrative class of “scholar-officials” was a remarkable element of imperial Chinese rule that made it more stable, longer-lasting, and at least potentially less oppressive than empires in other parts of the world. The imperial courts sent thousands of highly-educated administrators throughout the empire and China was ruled not by hereditary nobles or even elected representatives, but by a class of men who had received rigorous training and had passed very stringent examinations to prove themselves qualified to lead.

      I found this bit interesting as positions of leadership here are based on scholarly and intellectual merit, not democracy or hereditary. This section made me consider my town's local city council. I reside in a small rural town of less than 3,000 people. When there are elections for school board representatives, city council, or other positions where one would run for...most people (locals born and raised here) in town vote for their relatives or family friend over the most qualified competent candidate. Right now the town itself is not faring well due to irresponsible spending, and that nobody on the outside wants to move to this town or start businesses here.

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  3. Aug 2025
  4. mlpp.pressbooks.pub mlpp.pressbooks.pub
    Introduction
    3
    1. Kaitlin1992 27 Aug 2025
      Moses’ monotheism was an unusual innovation in an era when most societies worshipped several gods and many honored the gods of other cultures.

      In the Bible, the Ten Commandments were first spoken during Moses' life. The first commandment stated 'I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods beside me.'..which is interesting as societies at this time worshipped many gods.

    2. Kaitlin1992 27 Aug 2025
      Greek dramas and tragedies continue to be studied and performed; Pythagoras’ mathematical discoveries are still taught in schools; and the thinking of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the basis for Western philosophy and political science today.

      These mathematical discoveries we use today in the US and in our workforce.

      Philosophers such as Socretes, Plato, and Aristotle to this day influence our society's view on ethics and morality outside of religious interpretation.

    3. Kaitlin1992 27 Aug 2025
      Also, because there are none of the written records historians typically use to understand the past, we rely to a much greater extent on archaeologists, anthropologists, and other specialists for the data that informs our histories.

      It is interesting to consider how due to lack of historical records there is reliance on discoveries from other avenues such as archaeology or paleontology. Even though there may not be worded documentation of the past, the past manages to preserve itself in the form of fossils, landforms, etc. When reading this part, it reminded me of Effigy Mounds in Harper's Ferry, Iowa. The Effigy Mounds were mounds in the formation of animals created by Native Americans 550-1200 CE. I visited these mounds a couple of years ago.

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