ABSS8_ch17conclusion.qxd 2/9/07 1:53 PM Page 373 Conclusion FIGURE 1 In some ways, coming to the conclusion of a book is a little like reach- ing the end of a long journey. What emotions are you experiencing right now? Maybe your feelings are mixed. On the one hand, you may be glad you took this trip. It introduced you to lots of new people and encouraged you to think about many different ideas. At the same time, you may be relieved the trip is finally over! Before you close this book for the last time and put it away, take a moment to examine this picture of the Roman god Janus. His most notable feature is that he has two faces—one that looks forward and one that looks back. The Romans liked to put statues of Janus over doors and gateways, places where people went in and out. He was also the god they turned to for guidance in the uncertain times of war. His two faces had a sym- bolic value for the Roman people. They stood for the idea that it is impossible to accurately estimate what may happen in the future (the forward-looking face) without some understanding of what has hap- pened in the past (the backward-looking face). Think about this idea in relation to the contents of this book. Draw upon what you have learned about the worldviews of people who FIGURE 2 The Roman god Janus lived in times and places very different from your own. Conclusion 373 ABSS8_ch17conclusion.qxd 2/9/07 1:53 PM Page 374 You, the Detective In your explorations throughout this book, you have done an incredi- ble amount of detective work. By using critical thinking skills and applying the inquiry process, you examined many different issues relating to people’s worldviews and the way they change over time. How well did that process you saw in the Introduction hold up? Isolation → Contact → Change Let’s take a closer look at each term to find out. Isolation Each of the cultures you explored in this book experienced some form of isolation from other cultures, an isolation that affected the people’s worldview and helped make it unique. ◆ Europe, at the beginning of the Middle Ages, went through a period called the Dark Ages, when the people had few contacts with cultures other than their own. ◆ The Aztecs developed a great empire within the borders of modern- day Mexico, but they had no cultural contacts with nations beyond this area. ◆ The Japanese limited their contact with outsiders for more than 200 years. Contact Each of the once-isolated cultures then experienced some form of inter- cultural contact, in some cases peaceful, in other cases violent. ◆ In the late Middle Ages, Europeans started exploring new ideas. Translators in Spain made available works by Muslim and Jewish philosophers and scientists from other parts of the world. Traders like Marco Polo made people aware of cultures in China and Southeast Asia. Early Humanists began to study Classical manuscripts from Greece and Rome that survived in the great libraries of the time. ◆ The Aztecs went to war with the Spanish, the first people from beyond Mexico that they had ever met. The Aztecs quickly found themselves overwhelmed by more advanced military technology and ravaged by a new disease, smallpox. After the war, the Spanish confiscated the Aztecs’ land, destroyed their temples and libraries, and forcibly converted them to a new religion. ◆ The Japanese, prompted by Commodore Perry, opened their doors to the rest of the world after existing in a state of cultural isolation for almost 200 years. The new ideas and technologies that reached Japan affected every level of Japanese society. 374 Conclusion ABSS8_ch17conclusion.qxd 2/9/07 1:53 PM Page 375 Change Each of the three societies changed substantially as a result of their con- tacts and developed a new worldview. ◆ The exchange of ideas that took place between Humanist scholars and Jewish, Muslim, Eastern, and Classical thinkers led to an explo- sion of artistic creativity and scientific advancements throughout Europe. Today we call this period the Renaissance and recognize it as a bridge between the Middle Ages and modern times. ◆ As Aztec women married Spanish soldiers and Spanish priests intensively studied and wrote about Aztec culture, a new and vig- orous society began to develop in Mexico. This new society was not entirely Spanish nor Indigenous but incorporated aspects of both to produce a uniquely Mexican culture. ◆ By opening its doors to the rest of the world, Japan reinvigorated itself and quickly grew into one of the wealthiest and most power- ful nations on Earth. Thinking about the Future In each of the three examples you have examined in this book, a once- isolated society was transformed (along with its worldview) by contact with other nations and ideas. Will this process—of isolation, contact, and change—continue into the future? To explore this question, try playing the detective one last time. Start by thinking about the first term in our organizer, isolation. Are any societies in today’s global village truly isolated? Take a careful look at the following photograph. FIGURE 3 Yanomami children, South America Conclusion 375 ABSS8_ch17conclusion.qxd 2/9/07 1:53 PM Page 376 Figure 3 was taken by a person who works for Survival International, an organization that provides solar-powered radios to Indigenous peoples. The young people listening to the radio are Yanomami. They live in a part of the Amazon rain forest so remote from any other settlements that they have no electricity. Still, by using this type of radio, one that recharges from the rays of the sun, they can hear news and other programs from around the world. Now ask yourself some questions. If no society in today’s world can be said to be truly isolated—thanks to technologies like radio, TV, and the Internet—what does this mean for people’s worldviews? Does it follow that societies in the world today are more or less in steady contact with each other through communications technologies? And if this is so, does it mean that at some point societies and their worldviews will stop changing, that the world will develop a single cul- ture, one that all societies share in common? Well, to a large extent, the future is really up to you, the youth of the world, and it will be shaped by the way you live and think and interact with each other. The future is in your hands; or maybe it would be better to say it is in your brain, your view of the world. It’s really up to you, you see. What do you think the future will hold? 376 Conclusion ABSS8_ch17conclusion.qxd 2/9/07 1:53 PM Page 377 Culminating Activity You are at the end of your journey into worldview, what it is, how it is shaped and formed, and what happens as a result of intercultural contact. You have explored how the worldviews of Renaissance Europeans, the Aztecs, and the Japanese during the Edo and Meiji periods, changed as a result of inter- cultural contact. At the same time, you have identi- fied elements of your own worldview and how your worldview shifts and changes. Word of your journey has gotten out to the local For example, perhaps when you read about Economic media and they have asked you to prepare a docu- Imperialism in the Fast Forward in Chapter 6, you mentary about your experiences. They want to make decided to do something to make a difference. Maybe it available to other Grade 8 students who will take you changed where you choose to shop as a way of this course in the years to come to explain to them saying you disagree with sweatshop labour practices, why worldview is important. They have agreed to let or you shared your list of North American companies you choose the form the documentary will take: from Activity 2 with your family and friends. radio, television, or print. Step Three Step One Make a recommendation to future Grade 8 students In preparation for your documentary, review two about the critical thinking techniques you learned activities you completed when you started this and practiced during the year. Choose one of the course: techniques you used in the book that was most helpful to you, e.g., picture—words—questions in • The web you created at the start of your journey. the Introduction; or problem solving using lateral In it, you identified factors that influence your thinking in Chapter 14. Explain how you used the worldview, how you think and behave. skill in this course, another course, or another area of your life. • The four factors you selected from your web and your explanation of how each of them has shaped Step Four your way of thinking and behaving. Demonstrate how worldview and critical thinking go What changes, if any, would you make to these together by presenting a newspaper article and activities as a result of your worldview inquiry? For identifying the worldview(s) contained in it. Include example, would you add to the list of factors that a brief explanation of the process you went through influence your worldview? to identify the worldview(s). Step Two Step Five From your year-long inquiry into worldview, choose Explain why worldview is important and why future one specific question, discussion, or piece of infor- Grade 8 students should make the most of the jour- mation that helped you better understand your ney that lies ahead for them in this course.