Europe: Cultural, Religious, And Geographic Considerations

The Nature of Europe: Cultural, Religious, and Geographical Considerations At the dawn of the twenty first century, Europe exists in much the same way as it had for previous centuries. Despite cultural, religious, and geographical similarities, Europe can best be described as an idea. Throughout the history of the continent, those tasked with identifying Europe have incorporated and developed a number of perceptions that rightly include and exclude a number of factors. At present, contemporary thought is confronted with a similar test. A new century finds one immersed in a debate that has existed since the age of Ancient Greece. Yet, the question of “what is Europe” has adapted to include the progression of humankind and superimpose modern constructs over timeless conceptions of culture and religion.

They rejected geographical considerations and chose to define Europe in several ways. One, Europe extended to all areas touched by Greek culture. Two, in order to be European, one had to live in a city and shun the nomadic lifestyle embraced by uncivilized barbarians. Three, people had to be politically free as opposed to the despotism that characterized their Asian neighbors. Building on the idea of Europe as a cultural entity, philosophers like Machiavelli and Voltaire moved people to think about what Europe represented politically. For Machiavelli’s part, he defined Europe according to the type of government and political style of the states as opposed to religious orientations. Added to Machiavelli’s assumptions, Voltaire equated Europe to a distinct republic with many states that were linked by common legal principles and religion. At present, these conceptions have been grafted on to the European Union to help answer the question of Europe as a modern