Today in class we touched briefly on the characteristics of the civilizations that some of us have been studying that did not have written languages. It's difficult to determine why they didn't develop such a system, but the effects of that lack of development are blatantly obvious. We know very little about those without a writing system, and their societies do no appear as advanced as their writing counterparts, (In most cases, barring the Incas who appear to be an exception to the rule). The Book of Mormon gives a perfect example of the different paths civilizations might take depending on their development (or use) of a written language. Keep reading after the jump to find out more!
For those of you who aren't familiar with the goings on of the Book of Mormon who might be reading this, let me give you a brief background story to set up my topic. Basically a group of people left Jerusalem at around 600 B.C.E. and sailed across the ocean to the Americas. Once they got there, tensions quickly mounted to the point where they split into two distinct groups- the Nephites and the Lamenites. One of the key differences between these groups is that the Nephites had written records that contained teachings and prophecies from prophets of old, as well as records they kept of their time, thereby preserving their language. On the other hand, the Lamenites did not have these ancient records, and they did not keep their own records, so their language became corrupt.

In class there have been a few times when we mentioned this distinct example of the benefits of having a writing system, but we've avoided going into to much depth, so I will try to remain as light on the subject as possible. There are even examples of other people throughout the Book of Mormon (though chief among them are the Lamenites) and with each example we see a people who had lost the integrity of their spoken language, had branched off from the teachings of their fathers, and had forgotten their beliefs.


Without delving too much into the religious context of this example, I'd like to pose the question why exactly do civilizations that have and use an established written language seem to fare better, both in the advancement and continuity of their society? I would say that writing provides a foothold that allows society to progress without losing hold of what got them to that point in the first place. What do you think? What causes a people to develop a writing system, and what makes them better for it? Or what about an exception to the rule like the Incas, what makes them so special?
Well, for one thing, you can hardly expect anyone to remember everything. If there's no written language to record things, then any knowledge is only a generation away from being permanently lost.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of religion, there is an interesting anecdote in the Old Testament. Before the time of king Josiah, the people had lost the scriptures and become wicked, because they didn't have anything to guide them. Then, when king Josiah assumed the throne, he thought it was unfortunate that the temple had fallen into disrepair and began repairing it, and somewhere in the temple they found the scriptures again. The transformation it brings to the king and the people (at least for a time) is remarkable. The story is in 2 Kings 22 and 23, for anyone who is interested.
Brett in continuing with your first paragraph it was super easy for whole groups of people to just be wiped out when people contract some disease or another. Just look at like the Bubonic plague or any other number of diseases that swept through civilizations and annihilated much of the population. "Those who cannot learn from the past," as George Santayana said, "are doomed to repeat it."
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input, you guys both have really good points!
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with that story in the old testament (I'm really not familiar with the old testament at all haha)but I think that story is awesome! Thanks for sharing Brett
And Montana you also brought up a good point about how fragile life was in those times, you're right it was incredibly important to preserve what knowledge they had.
I'm glad you finally wrote this down in a post! We've definitely had a ton of conversations on this very subject, but you are the first to write it down. Thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your insights on the importance of developing a written language.