Axial Age: History's Turning Point

"History 102" with WhatifAltHist's Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg

In this episode of History 102, WhatifAltHist creator Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg dive deep into the Axial Age, a transformative time that birthed new philosophies and religions. Uncover the surprising link between the invention of coinage, explore the decline of traditional religions, and discover the reasons why people sought new spiritual paths in 500 BC.

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RELATED EPISODES:

Ancient India: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-india/id1730633913?i=1000656237395

Ancient China: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ancient-china/id1730633913?i=1000657394929

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TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Introduction & Overview

(01:06) The Axial Age & Strange Parallels

(03:31) The Role of Urbanization & Coinage

(04:49) Theocracies & Devolving Religion

(06:09) Atheism, Agnosticism, & Nihilism

(08:15) The Rise of Universal Religions

(11:18) Religious Revival & Modern Science

(13:00) Communism as a Religion & String Theory

(14:58) The Impact of Coinage & Breakdown of Social Relationships

(15:02) Sponsor: beehiiv

(17:53) Social Instability & Moral Dilemma

(21:05) Innovation & Renewal

(22:51) Greece: Frogs Around a Pond & The Milesian Philosophers

(24:10) Pythagoras, Orphism, and the State Religion

(26:49) Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle: The Search for Spiritual Truth

(28:42)Greek Philosophy & the Cosmic Order

(31:00) The Rise of Christianity and the Legacy of Greek Thought

(32:52) The Missing Indian Socrates

(34:07) The Importance of Math and the Western Mystical Tradition

(36:24) India: The Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

(38:00) The Middle East: Zoroaster and the Dualistic Religion

(40:40) China: Confucianism and Daoism

(43:00) Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Transformation of Religion

(46:00) Confucius, Taoism, and the Stability of China

(48:00) The Axial Age and the Moralization of Religion

(51:00) The Spiritual Bank Account

(56:10) Misunderstandings and the Importance of Understanding the Axial Age

(57:33) Book Recommendations

(58:35) Conclusion & Announcement of Next Episode

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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS:

Religions of the World by Huston Smith: A comprehensive overview of major world religions

Philosophic Teachings That All World Religions Share by Huston Smith: Explores common themes across religions

Debt by David Graeber: Discusses the economic history of credit and coinage

History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell: Provides a detailed account of Greek philosophy

The Great Transformation by Karen Armstrong: A comprehensive study of the Axial Age