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The Mongols are not East Asian. They are Central Asian. Tom Send a noteboard - 07/02/2010 03:06:19 PM
Central Asia has always been the province of nomadic peoples who from time to time would attack or raid the settled populations of both East Asia and Eastern Europe. The Huns, the Pechenegs, the Polovtsy, the Kazakhs, the Kirghiz, the Tatars, the Mongols, the Keraits, the Merkits, the Jungars and a whole host of others have left their mark on history.

Additionally, the simple fact is that the Mongols left no books behind with their wisdom in campaigning. There is the Secret History of the Mongols, ostensibly written by Genghis Khan, but it is almost certainly of a much later date, compiling oral traditions from a number of sources.

It's clear that Genghis Khan had never read Sun Zi (nor would he even consider the shame associated with such an act). He had his own ideas and his own methods, and they worked superbly well. The Mongols annihilated entire cities and empires and killed a lot of people. Hulagu Khan was responsible for one of the biggest atrocities against civilisation prior to the modern era - the Sack of Baghdad. So many books were destroyed that the river ran black with ink for weeks. A million lives were ended if we believe the mediaeval writers. Along with the burning of the Library at Alexandria and the Sack of Constantinople by the crusaders of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, it probably destroyed more learning than any other act.

The Mongols certainly had an impact on the world, but it wasn't through books or ideas.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 05/02/2010 11:09:41 PM 1053 Views
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Re: Nietzsche as mandatory reading - that's a fun idea. - 06/02/2010 06:03:59 PM 964 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 05/02/2010 11:47:08 PM 1031 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 06/02/2010 12:11:06 AM 911 Views
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Re: I agree on the Shakespeare (and mentioned that below). - 06/02/2010 06:05:48 PM 1024 Views
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Sure, but he could still have influenced world history by influencing Asia... *NM* - 07/02/2010 01:35:17 AM 368 Views
Doubtful. - 07/02/2010 01:41:01 AM 886 Views
Tom, you did not just write that - 07/02/2010 10:12:40 AM 934 Views
The Mongols are not East Asian. They are Central Asian. - 07/02/2010 03:06:19 PM 925 Views
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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 06/02/2010 01:44:07 PM 1003 Views
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Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses - 06/02/2010 04:26:53 PM 1028 Views
Re: Before responding to others, I'll post my own responses - 06/02/2010 10:34:10 PM 849 Views
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Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 07/02/2010 11:52:02 PM 963 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 08/02/2010 03:14:24 AM 1136 Views
Re: Censorship, promotion of books and dissemination of ideas. - 11/02/2010 10:58:23 PM 1002 Views

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