Spengler's civilization model

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This is a diagram of Oswald Spengler's civilization model.

[edit] Spiritual epochs

Phase Indian Culture
since 1500 BC		 Classical Culture
since 1100 BC		 Mid-Eastern Culture
since 1		 Western Culture
since 900
Spring
Intuition, powerful cultural creation from awakening souls, unity and abundance.		 Birth of a grand myth signifying a new conception of God. Fear and longing for the world.
1500 BC-1200 BC 1100 BC-800 BC 1-300 900-1200
Earliest metaphysical organization of the world. High scholasticism.
Contained in the oldest parts of the Vedas
Summer
Maturing consciousness. Earliest urban-civil society and critical thought.		 Reformation: revolt of the religious moderates against the early religion.
10-9th century BC 7th century BC
Beginnings of a purely philosophical movement. Contrasting idealistic and realistic systems
Contained in the Upanishads 6-5th century BC 6-7th century 16-17th century
Mathematical breakthroughs leading to a new conception of the world.
Missing 540 BC
Rationalism. The depletion of mysticism from religion.
Traces in the Upanishad 540 BC
  • Pythagorean Federation
 650s
Fall
Urban rise. High point of disciplined organizational strength.		 Faith in the omnipotence of rationality. Cult of Nature.
The height of mathematical thought.
Zero as a number
The last idealists. Theories of knowledge and logic.
Winter
Coming fissure in the world-urban civilization. Exhaustion of mental organization strength. Irreligioussness rises.		 Materialism: Cults of science, utility, and luck.
Ethical-social ideals: philosophy without mathematics, skepticism.
Elements of Buddhism Elements of Islam
The last mathematical thinkers.
Missing
Decline of abstract thinkers, and the rise of specialized academic philosophy.
Schools of
Spread of the last ideas.
Indian Buddhism since 500 Roman Stoicism since 200 The practical Fatalism of Islam since 1000 The spread of ethical Socialism since 1900
Second religiousness (in the masses only).
The success of Islam in India after 1150 The rise of Christianity in Rome and the suppression of polytheism after about 400 Syncretism in Islam under the Seljuq dynasty The increasing importance of fundamentalist ideas around the world

[edit] Artistic epochs

Phase Egyptian Culture Classical Culture Arab Culture Western Culture
Prehistory
A chaos of primitive styles. Mystical symbolism and naïve imitation.		 2830 BC-2600 BC 1600 BC-1100 BC 500 BC-0 500-900
Culture
The dominant stylistic idiom which fundamentally underpins the life of a culture is formed from necessity.		 Early Period
Ornamentation and architecture are the first basic expression of the recent world-historical consciousness.		 2600 BC-2200 BC 100 BC-650 BC 0-500 900-1500
Birth and ascent. Artistic forms are not consciously arising, but reflect the spirit of the landscape.
2550 BC-2320 BC 11-9th century BC 1st-3rd century 11-13th century
Completion of the early stylistic idiom. Exhaustion of its possibilities leading to contradiction.
2320 BC-2200 BC
  • 6th dynasty
  • End of pyramid and epic relief styles
  • Bloom of archaic portraits.
 8-7th century BC 4-5th century 14-15th century
Late Period
Formation of an urban group of selective, self-conscious artists: "the old masters."		 Instruction in formal artistry.
2130 BC-1990 BC
  • Completion of the mosque (Hagia Sophia)
  • Completion of the arabesque style (Mshatta Facade)
Completion of an intellectual stylistic idiom
1990 BC-1790 BC 480 BC-350 BC 7-8th century
  • Umayyad dynasty
  • Victory of architecture and pictureless arabesque art
Exhaustion of the strict organizational strength. Dissolution of the cultural idiom. The end of classic and romantic styles.
Confusions in 1700 BC limit change in art
Civilization
Existence without internal form. Metropolitan city art as habit, luxury, sport, excitement. Trendy style fashions (revivals, arbitrary inventions, borrowings) without larger symbolic content.		 Modern art. Attempts to alter and provoke metropolitan city consciousness. Conversion of music, architecture and painting into mere arts and crafts.
1675 BC-1550 BC 9-10th century 19-20th century
End of any development in stylistic form. Senseless, empty, cumulative architecture and ornamental art. Imitation of archaic and exotic themes.
1550 BC-1328 BC 100 BC-100 AD Since 2000
Exit. Training of a rigid form. The Caesars flaunt materialism for mass effect. Provincial arts and crafts.
1328 BC-1195 BC To come

[edit] Political epochs

Phase Egyptian Culture Classical Culture Chinese Culture Western Culture
Prehistory
A chaos of primitive styles. Mystical symbolism and naïve imitation.		 2830 BC-2600 BC - - -
Culture
Maturing consciousness. Earliest urban-civil socity and critical thought.		 Early Period
Maturing consciousness. Earliest urban-civil socity and critical thought.		 - - - -
-
- - - -
-
- - - -
Late Period
Maturing consciousness. Earliest urban-civil socity and critical thought.		 - - - -
-
- - - -
-
- - - -
-
- - - -
Civilization
Urban rise. High point of disciplined organizational strength.		 -
- - - -
-
- - - -
-
- - - -