by John » Sat Mar 22, 2014 2:40 pm
Thucydides wrote:
> You say an odd thing concerning Vladimir I when you say, "Vladimir
> accepted Orthodox Christianity for himself and his
> people. Vladimir might have chosen Catholicism, and thus would one
> man have changed the history and the map of the world. In the
> centuries to come, the Slav culture moved east and formed the
> Russian Empire."
> This is at odds with what you've written many times that "it's a
> basic principle of Generational Dynamics that even in a
> dictatorship, major policies and events are determined by masses
> of people, entire generations of people, and not by
> politicians. What politicians say or do is irrelevant, except
> insofar as their actions reflect the attitudes of the people that
> they represent, and so politicians can neither cause nor prevent
> the great events of history."
> From the perspective of generational dynamics, what are the
> factors that caused this great event and forced the hand of
> Vladimir I in this decision?
Well, it's true that this was a "great event," but it's not like a war
or other major generational event. At the time, all it meant was that
some Orthodox churches were going to be built over the next century or
so, and those would not have affected the everyday life of most of the
people, except that there would be a different sign outside the church
door.
Still, if Russia were a Catholic nation, then the map of the world
might have looked different today, after a millennium has passed.
[quote="Thucydides"]
> You say an odd thing concerning Vladimir I when you say, "Vladimir
> accepted Orthodox Christianity for himself and his
> people. Vladimir might have chosen Catholicism, and thus would one
> man have changed the history and the map of the world. In the
> centuries to come, the Slav culture moved east and formed the
> Russian Empire."
> This is at odds with what you've written many times that "it's a
> basic principle of Generational Dynamics that even in a
> dictatorship, major policies and events are determined by masses
> of people, entire generations of people, and not by
> politicians. What politicians say or do is irrelevant, except
> insofar as their actions reflect the attitudes of the people that
> they represent, and so politicians can neither cause nor prevent
> the great events of history."
> From the perspective of generational dynamics, what are the
> factors that caused this great event and forced the hand of
> Vladimir I in this decision?[/quote]
Well, it's true that this was a "great event," but it's not like a war
or other major generational event. At the time, all it meant was that
some Orthodox churches were going to be built over the next century or
so, and those would not have affected the everyday life of most of the
people, except that there would be a different sign outside the church
door.
Still, if Russia were a Catholic nation, then the map of the world
might have looked different today, after a millennium has passed.