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Jiang distinguishes Greek, Roman, and Viking selfhood: Greek excellence means standing out in politics, Roman piety means loyalty to tradition and conquest, and Viking excellence means adding to the communal story through courage and adventure.
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Jiang contrasts Vikings and Mongols by saying Vikings never adopted the belief that people were an infinite resource because Europe was poor and Viking opponents commanded respect.
He says Viking curiosity and respect let Vikings assimilate into surrounding cultures, while Mongol contempt and exploitation prevented a rich cultural legacy.
The Vikings should be treated as one of the outstanding cultures in Western civilization, but they are hard to understand because they preserved oral tradition rather than leaving a literary archive.
Jiang argues that Vikings are underappreciated and should be added as a fifth pillar of Western civilization, not treated as peripheral raiders.
Jiang distinguishes Greek, Roman, and Viking selfhood: Greek excellence means standing out in politics, Roman piety means loyalty to tradition and conquest, and Viking excellence means adding to the communal story through courage and adventure.
Viking and Athenian banishment show that the worst punishment in community-centered societies is removal from the group that makes the person socially real.
Viking expansion illustrates the hurricane model: excess wealth, power, and status pressure pushed borderland people to colonize, trade, raid, and found new political orders.
Jiang previews the next arc as Roman decline, the Frankish or Holy Roman Empire, and then the rise of the Vikings.
"...Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup. So, the Vikings were in Europe, and the Mongols are near China, okay? And I..."
"...they didn't really produce cultural monuments. We don't have... Like the Vikings, I mean, as I mentioned, the Vikings were fundamental development of Western..."
"So, I would much prefer to be a Viking. I would much prefer to be enslaved by a Viking than a Mongol. Like, if..."
"Whereas the Mongols were not curious about the world. They were intent on conquest. And enslaving other people, and exploiting other people. Okay? They..."
"Good morning. So today we continue the Vikings. And this morning we will look at their worldview, their cultural system. And as I mentioned..."
"Okay, so good morning. Today, we start the Vikings. We will do it over two classes. And the Vikings are extremely interesting. And I..."
"Now, but within this tradition, within this understanding, there are different ways you can conceptualize the idea of the community and the individual. Okay?..."
"...Okay? So we did the Greeks and the Romans. Now the Vikings are very different. The Vikings are very different people."
"...story? Through exploration, through adventure, through personal courage. That's why the Vikings went off to settle Iceland and Greenland. That's why they pillaged these..."
"...All right. Great question. Any more questions? Fluid. Yep. Okay. The Vikings? Okay. The Vikings their worst punishment is banishment as well. So for..."
"They always come back. Yes. So the Athenians banished a lot of people. Okay? And they always came back. And if they're banished they're..."
"...they conquer their own territory. So if you look at the Vikings, okay, the Vikings, the Vikings are interesting."
Genghis Khan is not explained by saying the Mongols were uniquely evil.
The Vikings do not look important because they left fewer books.
History is not a cycle, and it is not a line moving politely toward truth.
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