Greatest Culture...

The noble, freedom-loving Texans rebelled against Santa Anna and the Mexican government, and won their independence. They were an independent nation before joining the U.S. Why did they want to separate from Mexico? One key reason was that the oppressive Mexican Government did not allow its citizens to own slaves. Horrors! How can one expect the dead, white males so all-important to the literary canon to function without the right to own people of other racial heritages?

slavery is the only way to establish a true culture. one needs the simple, beast tasks of food, water, and shelter to be taken care of by others so that one can focus on the more aesthetic aspects of a cultured life.

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Originally Posted by hypatia_

slavery is the only way to establish a true culture. one needs the simple, beast tasks of food, water, and shelter to be taken care of by others so that one can focus on the more aesthetic aspects of a cultured life.

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It worked for the Athenians.

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Originally Posted by hypatia_

slavery is the only way to establish a true culture. one needs the simple, beast tasks of food, water, and shelter to be taken care of by others so that one can focus on the more aesthetic aspects of a cultured life.

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That's what Nietzsche thought. But I don't agree. Much of America's greatest cultural production took place post-abolition. Most of my favourite authors were poor.

Methinks a game's being played with "true" - a true game I guess.

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Originally Posted by Ecurb

It worked for the Athenians.

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:lol:

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Originally Posted by darcy88

That's what Nietzsche thought. But I don't agree. Much of America's greatest cultural production took place post-abolition. Most of my favourite authors were poor.

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I haven't had a chance to get into Nietzche yet. I have a few books written down to get into after Kafka's Metamorphosis. The Antichrist, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Human, All Too Human. Could you recommend something that might be better in terms of representing his philosophy (if you had to pick just one)?

Most of my favourite authors were poor.

Many of the artists may have been poor... but the cultures that supported such artists... that allowed for the "free time" and could afford the luxury of financially supporting something not essential to survival... these were wealthy. Look at where all the great artistic movements come from.

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Originally Posted by hypatia_

:lol:



I haven't had a chance to get into Nietzche yet. I have a few books written down to get into after Kafka's Metamorphosis. The Antichrist, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and Human, All Too Human. Could you recommend something that might be better in terms of representing his philosophy (if you had to pick just one)?

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Twilight of the Idols is the one I would read first. All his books are fun and profound though. I've read them all several times each. On the Genealogy of Morality is one you ought to read as well, it might just be his most important single text, but I would start with Twilight of the Idols.

My personal favourite is The Gay Science, but it is not one I would recommend beginning with.

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Originally Posted by stlukesguild

Since we all seem to love to engage in those inane discussions debating the greatest writer, greatest poet, greatest national body of literature, etc... let's take it to the logical extreme and discuss what you think is/was the greatest or most influential culture on the whole of culture? Of all time? Over the last 100 years.

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Greatest and most influential culture of all time: The British Empire.

Those nations we didn't destroy the culture of, our descendants, Americans, converted to theirs.

Never mind the Italians, classical Greeks or German philosophers, Britain ruled the waves for hundreds of years, ushered in the greatest culture-changing phenomena in history - the Industrial Revolution and the internet, and ran most of the world for hundreds of years, shaping fashion, arts and music.

Easy. Next question!

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

Greatest and most influential culture of all time: The British Empire.

Those nations we didn't destroy the culture of, our descendants, Americans, converted to theirs.

Never mind the Italians, classical Greeks or German philosophers, Britain ruled the waves for hundreds of years, ushered in the greatest culture-changing phenomena in history - the Industrial Revolution and the internet, and ran most of the world for hundreds of years, shaping fashion, arts and music.

Easy. Next question!

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Firstly, I mus say that it is very modest:D
However , in about 70% , you are right.

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

Easy. Next question!

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:lol:

"The only thing I know is that I know nothing."

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Originally Posted by hypatia_

:lol:

"The only thing I know is that I know nothing."

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It`s a lot:)

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Originally Posted by The Atheist

Greatest and most influential culture of all time: The British Empire.

Those nations we didn't destroy the culture of, our descendants, Americans, converted to theirs.

Never mind the Italians, classical Greeks or German philosophers, Britain ruled the waves for hundreds of years, ushered in the greatest culture-changing phenomena in history - the Industrial Revolution and the internet, and ran most of the world for hundreds of years, shaping fashion, arts and music.

Easy. Next question!

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Are you being serious ? You seem to lack a concept of both culture and history.

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Originally Posted by JBI

Are you being serious ? You seem to lack a concept of both culture and history.

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We live in a self- regulating system. There are of course many situations where the impact of british culture is seen however , f.ex English has many french loans. English is one of the most popular languages but it`s not the only one.

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Originally Posted by Ecurb

The noble, freedom-loving Texans rebelled against Santa Anna and the Mexican government, and won their independence. They were an independent nation before joining the U.S. Why did they want to separate from Mexico? One key reason was that the oppressive Mexican Government did not allow its citizens to own slaves. Horrors! How can one expect the dead, white males so all-important to the literary canon to function without the right to own people of other racial heritages?

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Given its size, I don't know why Texas joined the union anyway. Of course, the downside to remaining an independent country would have been to have potential enemies on its respective borders. The upside would have been that the US wouldn't have had George W Bush as president.