A Philosophical and Historical Analysis of Modern Democracy, on the American

Ran across this reference recently and thought I would share it. It has a lot of Catholic references but its a nice concise history. I like it JUST BECAUSE it does contain some of the ancient concepts. The non faith version would focus on astronomy. Recently realized there were two major competitive social dynamics in the same region: priest prophets and kings while the other was astronomers engineers and kings. Kinda leads me back to the Cain and Able story that has a Muslim tradition also. Able is known as the city builder...

http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/politics/pg0010.html

King, David, In Synchrony with the Heavens, Studies in Astronomical Timekeeping and Instrumentation in Medieval Islamic Civilization

Based on this, the editors of The
Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature (ERN) adopted a working definition of religion as “that dimension of human experience engaged with sacred norms, which are related to transformative forces and powers and which people consider to be dangerous and/or beneficent and/or meaningful
in some ultimate way” (x).

In his introduction Taylor further states that “for many, this meaningfulness and the sacred norms associated with it have much to do with nature” (x).

He acknowledges that nature itself is a problematic and contested term, but defines it as “that world which includes—but at the same time is perceived to be beyond—our human bodies, and which confronts us daily with its apparent otherness” (x).

These “minimalist definitions” (x), when combined into the term “nature religion”, become “any religiosity that considers nature to be sacred (extraordinarily powerful in both dangerous and beneficial ways) and worthy of reverent care” (x).

Muzaffar Iqbal
Book Review

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CCgQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cis-ca.org%2Fjol%2Fvol4-no1%2Freviews.pdf&rct=j&q=King%2C%20David%2C%20In%20Synchrony%20with%20the%20Heavens%2C%20Studies%20in%20Astronomical%20%0D%0ATimekeeping%20and%20Instrumentation%20in%20Medieval%20Islamic%20Civilization&ei=YcI8U7bGM6jKsAS844GICw&usg=AFQjCNH4ZVOvMc3IOD0hIAIjHFv6ZNWxkA&bvm=bv.63934634,d.cWc

Engineering?

Had an interest in college on the architecture of thought that was recently  rekindled. It happened while deployed to Afghanistan for or a variety if reasons: conflict, tribalism, the military, religion, etc. They all seemed to be an issue that needed looked into.

There is a dualism that drives culture seemingly inherent to our humanity. Some believe this dualism to be our final reality but others no. It is my theory that the ebb and flow of a society is based on this conceptualized dualality.

Astronomy is easily recognized as our earliest science but the duality with religion is a recent social construct. In addition, when looking for models if tribal behavior, I identified two institutes as maintaining a tribal nature: religious and military.

What I wanted to find was the original dualality so to better understand the evolution of tribal cultures. It is not well documented but feel that I have found it. Not sure how much of this is perceived or real, in a knowledge since but it fits into my research and a favorite ancient source....

Engineering!!!

Astronomy and Engineering!!!

Of course the Noah story seems to elude to conservation, but I see it as a fragmentation of astronomy. Also its the biblical stories that confirm astronomy as being integrated into political hiarchies. However, you do not see engineering nor is it a major topic - unless you realize its part of the tribal conflict itself.

Military Engineering

Although the story of Genesis speaks as the beginning, it begins to establish the cultural under pinnings of an entire region. In its stories of creation lye a very early link to what could be considered as civil engineering.

”Cain is also described as a city-builder, and, through three sons of his son five times remote, as the forefather of tent-dwelling pastoralists, all lyre and pipe players, and the bronze and iron smiths, respectively." - Wikipedia