Post by Candlewhisper on Oct 7, 2015 9:46:22 GMT -5
Wow. 500 years is a long timeframe, and world culture is such a diverse thing I think its hard to say. World powers have risen and fallen in that time, and cultural impact is a pretty hard thing to judge, and even harder to quantify.
I guess if we're going to look at maximum impact, then we have to aim at the start of that 500 year period. That's basic logic - the longer ago something has happened, the more chance it has had to have knock on effects.
That in mind, if we're starting from 1515, I'm going to go with Italy and the Renaissance. Humanistic thinking has had a major development in the shape of the world, but noticeably in the development of the scientific mindset. The scientific mindset, in turn, has driven the technological development of the last five centuries, and technology has had more cultural impact on the world than pretty much anything other than sex, death, religion and war, and those four things are far older than science. Sure, we had science and technology prior to Renaissance Italy, but that was the sparking point where Science with a big S started.
In the spirit of Science, let me clarify that this isn't the Answer to your question. Its just an answer, a hypothesis to be tested and discredited when something better comes along.
Also in the spirit of Science, let me declare my biases here. As someone in Britain, I've had a history education that is ridiculously eurocentric, I exist in a largely secular society that is nominally Christian, and we're taught to respect science from an early age. This skews my viewpoints, clearly, and I am sure that if I lived in China, India or Brazil I'd give an entirely different answer.
Last Edit: Oct 7, 2015 9:54:31 GMT -5 by Candlewhisper
A poll should definitely consider Germany, France, Italy, and Greece but the time frame has serious effects on the question. The time frame made me use a 500 year period.
Post by Candlewhisper on Oct 8, 2015 4:11:36 GMT -5
Well, sure, art opera and the rest. To be honest I was thinking of culture in broader terms, along the lines of a sense of identity of humanity during that time period.
As I say though, its not so much an answer for the world, more an answer for someone living in the UK in this time and place. I'd say that Britain has had a pretty big impact too, but the 500-year framework means that we have to look at who was most influential in ideas 500 years ago, and Britain's influence came later.
Lets not be eurocentric though - I think if we lived in China, for example, then the nation that would have shaped our culture most would be China, for the past 100, 500, 1000 or 2000 years. I'd argue on a world level, however, that western culture has been more invasive of the east than eastern culture has of the west. Likewise the same for other parts of the world - if it was down to a competition of cultural imperialism in the past 500 years, then the west is in the lead. Their memes are the most infectious, their ideologies the most prone to spread.
Its an interesting question. I thought about Astronomy at first as an influence for travel and exploration, however, I was not sure if it was science or culture. The more I thought about the question the harder it was to answer.
Post by Candlewhisper on Oct 8, 2015 9:38:13 GMT -5
Right, outside of a computer game its pretty hard to define or quantify culture. Is capitalism culture? Is religion culture? Which is the bigger cultural contributor?
Well geological changes, war and disasters motivate change in nations, and that can have an awesome effect on change and culture. The question has grown since I first considered it.
Post by Candlewhisper on Oct 9, 2015 6:32:15 GMT -5
Ah its a shame no-one else is chipping in on this. Every time I see an interesting topic like this I feel the urge to post it to a busier forum and see some wider opinions.
Post by deansvilleohio on Oct 13, 2015 23:07:37 GMT -5
That's a very interesting, It is hard to say because the world is dynamic. One cog in the overall machine means so much regardless of size or knowledge that the country shares. One event that has left a lasting and unfortunately mostly negative impact on the way many countries live and survive is the Cold War. So if that has created the environment and culture both domestically and in foreign policy that USA and Russia as well as their allies live by, I would say Russia and the United Sates have shaped a lot of how the societies of many countries are run and that means something, especially in more modern times.
Post by Candlewhisper on Oct 14, 2015 3:57:39 GMT -5
Phrased as "which country has in the last five hundred years most shaped modern culture?" I'd say the USA is a strong one to propose. I admit, I was approaching it the other way, as in "which country has had the most cultural impact over the last 500 year period?"
Even with the answer of the USA, of course, I'm writing while sat in good 'ole Britannia, and have a very biased viewpoint because of that.
Both England and America have added a lot, but I suppose some of the answer contains the question "what is culture"? Is it art, music, language, philosophy? Someone could make an argument for including teaching values or manners, so maybe education. Early explorers transmitted their unique culture and brought the cultures of the new countries home. Its not an easy to define question. During WWII service personnel taught baseball in countries around the world. The game has rules and ways of behaving that are introduced into the visited culture. When you teach sports are you teaching a culture?