Is Human Culture Aryan?

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the magnitude of Western influence on the shape of human culture. The paper begins with the question of Aryan influence, with the author attempting to define the term Aryan. He rejects the Nazi identification of Aryan, choosing instead to define it broadly as peoples whose languages are derived from the Indo-European linguistic group. Even more broadly, the author equates Aryan with Western. Then the paper studies the influences of the Aryan -- aka the West -- on human culture. While the author finds the impact of Western ideas, philosophy and invention to be obviously great, he says that human culture is too broad to credit it all to the West. He points to writing, toolmaking, organized religion and political organization, urbanization, and monumental architecture, all of which derived from non-Aryan cultures.

From the Paper:

"Even if the wide-ranging influence of the Indo-Europeans is recognized, the cultures identified with them are not purely Indo-European, but were themselves influenced by pre-Indo-European cultures. For example, The Indo-Europeans in Persia were greatly influenced by the ancient Semitic cultures of Mesopotamia and Anatolia. Likewise, aspects of the more-ancient culture of Dravidian India were incorporated into the dominant Indo-European culture of the invaders from the north. So it is wrong to think that speakers of Indo-European languages can be credited with creating all of human culture."

More papers on Is Human Culture Aryan?:

• Essay # 66747 : "Is Human Culture Aryan?"
• Research Paper # 118369 : "Evolution and Human Culture"
• Research Paper # 95946 : "Nazi Germany"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: