Young Luke recently completed high school and is now attending college. He’s enrolled in a two year business program that will teach him the foundations of finance, accounting, marketing, and economics. So much so that upon graduation Luke will be qualified to work in the business world.
But as an adult, he’ll also be required to know about politics and be asked to vote. He’ll be bombarded with articles and opinions telling him how things should be, without ever being given any of the basics. So what’s he to do? Stay in school an additional two years and spend another twenty thousand dollars? Or take a crash course on the workings of the world and learn how to constantly improve his education.
If he chooses the latter, which is obviously more practical, what then does Luke actually need to know? Here’s my answer: you can’t know politics without understanding history, and you can’t know history without grasping the tactical components of religion. So let’s start with history.
History
As Canadians, we’re descendants of the Roman Empire now living within Western civilization.
Rome was founded in 753 BC. It shifted from a monarchy to a classical republic and then to an autocratic empire that included most of Europe. Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC and adopted much of Greek culture, this period is known as the Greco-Roman world.
After the life of Jesus, a new form of Judaism was created—Christianity. Between 313 and 380, Rome adopted Christianity as its state religion. Roman culture then became the amalgamation of the Greco-Roman world and Judaeo-Christianity.
In 395, Rome split into east and west, with the west containing most of Europe. Canada was colonized by Britain and France (Europeans), that’s why we’re part of Western civilization. The West’s tenets are democracy, capitalism, and a culture based on the Greco-Roman world and Judaeo-Christianity.
1215 is the year of the British Magna Carta, which signifies the start of modern day democracy. The mid-1500s is when the Protestant Reformation challenged Rome’s authority over Christianity by creating many new denominations. And the Industrial Revolution—the beginning of modern day capitalism—started in the 1700s.
See articles on Civilizations, Ancient Greece, British History, and American History.
Politics
Knowing the difference between a liberal and a conservative is the essential quandary of politics. People spend their whole lives confused about it. Definitions can be found in the articles Left is for Liberal and Conservatives, but before jumping to conclusions please grasp the following:
- Both ideologies are valid (and you’ll alternate between the two)
- Party platforms rest on top of ideology, as an interpretation (so parties can be bad but ideologies are always good)
The underpinnings of politics are what the public sector does, the welfare state, government’s role within a free market society, and who votes what. Then it’s good to understand the basic structure of government and where we’ve come from (Senate Reform), plus the essence of what’s behind current world problems (Irish Nationalism, Syria and Iraq, Muslim Countries, and the North-South Divide). This should get you through our current state of propaganda.
Albert Einstein said, “I don’t know how WWIII will be fought, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones.” This sentiment captures modern day international policy thinking (see Imperialism). There are over 190 countries and not all are democratic. The path forward has traditionally been fought through civil wars, but this option, too, is now no longer practical.
Religion
We’re moving towards a global civilization, where democracy and capitalism are widely held, and a multitude of religions are accepted. Yes, Christianity played a significant role in the development of the West, but it’s time to acknowledge our uncertainty about life and welcome other views.
And whether Christ came down to enhance Judaism (Judaism 2.0) or introduce beliefs separate from those of the Jews, devout Christians continue to hold special regard for Israel (and this isn’t expected to change).
See articles on History of Western Faith and the Bible.
Summary
Bottom line: doctors, lawyers, engineers—none of us are qualified to vote. Democracy only works when all sides are able and fortunately, over the years, we’ve experienced good government. Our system does protect us from potential fools, but it’s still up to the citizenry to watchdog those of us in charge. So you should know this stuff.
Now get back to your studies—one day, you’ll need a good job.