Ch 7 Blogpost #7

Of the 3 possible roads, the road I would most want to travel if I was a woman would be the Silk Road. The Sea Road is automatically knocked out of the competition because being a woman (even a Captain) on a ship full of men is not a good idea. Sea voyages were very long, and it's quite possible for unwanted advances to occur. That leaves the Silk Road and the Sand Road as the remaining two possibilities. It's mentioned in the text that women are mostly valued for their reproduction capabilities the most for the Sand Road... This sounds much like the Sea Road already. Regardless of gender, the sand road has us traveling across the Sahara desert. Natural hazards such as dehydration, snakes, scorpions, etc, already make this road seem more unappealing. The Silk Road seems to be the most appealing due to the need for women in the work force, and the amount of goods specifically targeted at women, for example silk dresses and cotton textiles. Buddhism was also a popular religion among the cities along the Silk Road, and Buddhism is one of the more gender equal religions. These few positives stacked against the numerous negatives of the other two roads put the Silk Road way ahead.

Ch 4 Blogpost #6

How does Confucius understand the role of the supernatural ---- gods, spirits, and ancestors, for example?

Confucian values focused on the idea that humanity can continuously improve itself, and that each new generation should be better than their previous ancestors were. According to the Mandate of Heaven, Emperors were allowed to rule based on their ability to rule efficiently and correctly. Basically, if an Emperor does a good job and society is prospering, they are adhering to the Mandate. Confucian ideas did not deny the existence of spirits or god, but Confucianism did not focus on appeasing invisible gods, but rather on practicality and "reality". However, Confucianism did advise people to "participate in family and state rituals as if the spirits were present" (172 Ways of the World). Essentially, Confucianism has all of its bases covered in case god and the spirits are real. Confucius believed that the afterlife was beyond human understanding and that was his explanation for not focusing more of his philosophy on spirits and god.

Chapter 2 Blogpost #4

What philosophy of life comes across in the Gilgamesh story?

I believe the philosophy of life that comes across in the Gilgamesh story is that one should indulge in the simple pleasures of life while one can. The Gilgamesh story revolves around Enkidu becoming a man by abandoning his feral nature, laying with a woman for several nights, drinking beer and eating bread, and hunting his former animal companions. In this time period, I suppose that was all that there was to life because life was so much simpler. But, to someone looking in, it does seem like the Gilgamesh story proposes that gratification is the end goal and journey of life. Food, entertainment, and sex are the basic needs for a  human being. I find this question ironic because philosophy is usually complex, but the Mesopotamian "philosophy" of life is base to me. I do come thousands of years ahead of their time though.