I was wondering what people here think

[mmonk]

of the Axial Age and the Axial sages (for those of you here that are familiar with it).

[rug]

1. Made me look.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_Age

I don't know enough about it to see if it's coincidence or if he's proposing a causation.

[mmonk]

2. I'm not sure. Maybe an evolution of both

mind and societal construct? It has fascinated me.

[rock]

3. Squishy n/t

[libodem]

4. Looks like none of us

Know that much about 600BC.

Interesting the link between trade, invention of coinage and monotheism.

What is your take?

[mmonk]

8. Not sure but seems a changing environment

forced behavioral and thinking changes through awareness of self and others.

[libodem]

11. A Gore Vidal book was mentioned

Sounds like a good read. I haven't studied any religious history in years. Interesting to think about.

[Android3.14]

5. Meh.

Sounds like a historian saw a cluster of data points.

[mmonk]

9. Yes. In realtime on a single line though,

it would be but a dot.

[Basic LA]

6. By Karen Armstrong

I'm enjoying The Great Transformation audio book read by the author, tho I got the abridged version, still quite long. And I like that she includes Greek Rationalism as one of the four great movements of the Axial Age.

[mmonk]

10. Me too as I studied both Plato's Republic

and a work by Aristotle in my collegiate studies.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Don't know, but it's an interesting idea.

Karen Armstrong's book The Great Transformation discusses it in some detail. Whether it's coincidence or something else, I have no idea, but the book is interesting.