The first classics in human history the early works of
literature, philosophy, and theology to which we have returned
throughout the ages appeared in the middle centuries of the first
millennium bce. The canonical texts of the Hebrew scriptures, the
philosophical writings of Plato and Aristotle, the "Analects" of
Confucius and the "Daodejing, " the "Bhagavad Gita" and the
teachings of the Buddha all of these works came down to us from the
compressed period of history that Karl Jaspers memorably named the
Axial Age.
In "The Axial Age and Its Consequences, " Robert Bellah and Hans
Joas make the bold claim that intellectual sophistication itself
was born worldwide during this critical time. Across Eurasia, a new
self-reflective attitude toward human existence emerged, and with
it an awakening to the concept of transcendence. From Axial Age
thinkers we inherited a sense of the world as a place not just to
experience but to investigate, envision, and alter through human
thought and action.
Bellah and Joas have assembled diverse scholars to guide us
through this astonishing efflorescence of religious and
philosophical creativity. As they explore the varieties of
theorizing that arose during the period, they consider how these in
turn led to utopian visions that brought with them the possibility
of both societal reform and repression. The roots of our continuing
discourse on religion, secularization, inequality, education, and
the environment all lie in Axial Age developments. Understanding
this transitional era, the authors contend, is not just an academic
project but a humanistic endeavor."
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