What is Philosophy: Philosophy is the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.
So, what makes up the Philosophy of a civilization? Before we get started, DISCLAIMER: So, my attempt to research and form a better understanding of this has been, well, fruitless. Just about every search result I get is about companies or organizations smaller than a civilization. Much smaller. And those ideas of Philosophy are not really what we want. So, if I am wrong on ANYTHING in this chapter, then please contact me and let me know. Preferably with some source material for research. That said, lets get started.
My Understanding: To my current understanding, a civilizaion's philosophy is based on what makes them who they are. It is a combination of Religious Ideals, Economical Ideals, Civil Ideals, Militaristic Ideals, ect. It is the core traits that define the people as a whole, and their view on life around them.
If we go by my understanding about this, then everything you do to build your civilization from their economy to their social structure and so on, creates the civilization's philosophy. It is who the people are and how they are identified. It is how they define themselves through their beliefs and ideals. So, how do you get a picture of what this is?
The simple answer would be to read through everything you have created and pick out what defines each aspect of your civilization. It is why they do what they do. Make a list. Gather everything you can on why these people are what they are, and why they do what they do. Then, you will basically have a summary of who your civilization is and how they view the world.
And if you REALLY want to take this a step further, you can do this to your characters, because the concept is essentially the same. Only in this case, you are building up what this other person's philosophy is and if you can come to understand it, you could predict their every move. Same thing with a civilization. Intrigued yet? lol.
NOTICE: As always, remember to keep backups of your work, at least two. I personally recommend one on your hard dive, at least one flash drive and a printed copy. If you have any questions or need any assistance, just contact me via comments, message board or PM. I will respond within 24 hours.
External Link:
To access the embedded link, please click the external link located just above the comments section of this chapter.
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Worldbuilder Tips and Guides
Non-FictionThis is a guide written by me to share with you templates, tips, and other information I have collected over the years about world-building. Here, you will learn how to create civilizations, characters, places, objects and more for your story. Some...
