ITT al-Jāḥiẓ explains his new RPG setting
Know that every nation, people, generation or tribe that shows itself outstanding in cratsmanship or pre-eminent in eloquence, the various branches of learning, the establishment of empries or the art of war, only attains the peak of perfection because God has steered it in that direction and given it the means the special aptitudes appropriate to those activities. Peoples of varying habits of thought, different opinions, and dissimilar characters cannot attain perfection unless they fulfill the conditions needed to carry on an activity, and have a natural aptitude for it. Good examples are the Chinese in craftsmanship, the Greeks in philosophy and literature, the Arabs in fields that we mean to deal with in their proper place, the Sasanians in imperial administration, and the Turks in the art of war. Do you not see that the Greeks, who studied theory, were not merchants, artisans, sowers, farmers, builders, fruit-farmers, hoarders of treasure, or men bent on making money by hard work? Their rulers absolved them from the necessity to work by providing for their needs; and hence they were free to engage in research, and (thanks to their single-mindedness, ingenuity, and imaginativeness) to invent machines, tools, and musical instruments - music which brings peace to the soul, relaxation after travail, and blessed balm for the ulcer of anxiety. They built for men's profit and edifications scales, balances, astrolabes, hourglasses, and other [instruments], and invented medicine, mathematics, geometry, music, and engines of war such as the mangonel, etc. They were thinkers, not doers: they designed the machine, made a template and drew a model of the tool, but could not use it; they confined themselves to giving directions about instruments, without handling them themselves. They loved science, but shrank from its application.
The Chinese for their part are specialists in smelting, casting, and metalworking, in fine colours, in sculpture, weaving, and drawing; they are very skillful with their hands, whatever the medium, the technique, or the cost of the materials. The Greeks are theoreticians rather than practitioners, while the Chinese are practitioners rather than theoreticians; the former are thinkers, the latter doers.
The Arabs, again, were not merchants, artisans, physicians, farmers - for that would have degraded them -, mathematicians, or fruit-farmers - for they wished to escape the humiliation of the tax; nor were they out to earn or amass money, hoard possessions or lay hands on other people's; they were not of those who make their living with a pair of scales, or [by giving short measure] in dried foods, and knew neither the qirat nor the danaq; they were not poor enough to be indifferent to learning, pursued neither wealth, that breeds foolishness, nor good fortune, that begets apathy, and never tolerated humiliation, which was dishonour and death to their souls. They dwelt in the plains, and grew up in contemplation of the desert. They knew neither damp nor rising mist, neither fot nor foul air, nor a horizon bounded by walls. When these keen minds and clear brains turned to poetry, fine language, eloquence, and oratory, to physiognomy and astrology, geneaology, navigation by the stars and by marks on the ground, and knowledge of anwa, to horse-breeding, weaponry, and engines of war, to memorizing all that they heard, pondering on everything that caught their attention and discriminating between the glories and the shames of their tribes, they achieved perfection beyond the wildest dreams. Certain of these activities broadened their minds and exalted their aspirations, so that of all nations they are now the most glorious and the most given to recalling their past splendours.
It is the same with the Turks who dwell in tents in the desert and keep herds: they are the Bedouins of the non-Arabs... Uninterested in craftsmanship or commerce, medicine, geometry, fruit-farming, building, digging canals, or collecting taxes, they care only about raiding, hunting, horsemanship, skirmishing with rival chieftains, taking booty, and invading other countries. Their efforts are all directed towards these activities, and they devote all their energies to these occupations. In this way they have acquired a mastery of these skills, w hich for them take the place of craftsmanship and commerce and constitute their only pleasure, their glory, and the subject of all their conversation. Thus have they become in th erealm of warfare what the Greeks are in philosophy, the Chinese in craftsmanship, and the Arabs in the fields we have enumerated.
The Chinese for their part are specialists in smelting, casting, and metalworking, in fine colours, in sculpture, weaving, and drawing; they are very skillful with their hands, whatever the medium, the technique, or the cost of the materials. The Greeks are theoreticians rather than practitioners, while the Chinese are practitioners rather than theoreticians; the former are thinkers, the latter doers.
The Arabs, again, were not merchants, artisans, physicians, farmers - for that would have degraded them -, mathematicians, or fruit-farmers - for they wished to escape the humiliation of the tax; nor were they out to earn or amass money, hoard possessions or lay hands on other people's; they were not of those who make their living with a pair of scales, or [by giving short measure] in dried foods, and knew neither the qirat nor the danaq; they were not poor enough to be indifferent to learning, pursued neither wealth, that breeds foolishness, nor good fortune, that begets apathy, and never tolerated humiliation, which was dishonour and death to their souls. They dwelt in the plains, and grew up in contemplation of the desert. They knew neither damp nor rising mist, neither fot nor foul air, nor a horizon bounded by walls. When these keen minds and clear brains turned to poetry, fine language, eloquence, and oratory, to physiognomy and astrology, geneaology, navigation by the stars and by marks on the ground, and knowledge of anwa, to horse-breeding, weaponry, and engines of war, to memorizing all that they heard, pondering on everything that caught their attention and discriminating between the glories and the shames of their tribes, they achieved perfection beyond the wildest dreams. Certain of these activities broadened their minds and exalted their aspirations, so that of all nations they are now the most glorious and the most given to recalling their past splendours.
It is the same with the Turks who dwell in tents in the desert and keep herds: they are the Bedouins of the non-Arabs... Uninterested in craftsmanship or commerce, medicine, geometry, fruit-farming, building, digging canals, or collecting taxes, they care only about raiding, hunting, horsemanship, skirmishing with rival chieftains, taking booty, and invading other countries. Their efforts are all directed towards these activities, and they devote all their energies to these occupations. In this way they have acquired a mastery of these skills, w hich for them take the place of craftsmanship and commerce and constitute their only pleasure, their glory, and the subject of all their conversation. Thus have they become in th erealm of warfare what the Greeks are in philosophy, the Chinese in craftsmanship, and the Arabs in the fields we have enumerated.
Tagged:
Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Comments
That's forward-thinking
Intikam soğuk yenen bir yemektir
"bedouins of the non-arabs" wtf mate
IN SPACE
One of the universal Turkic origin myths is that they're literally descended from steppe-wolves.