The Great Transformation

In the period from the ninth century to the second century BCE, the peoples of four distinct regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that have continued to nourish humanity to the present day: Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India, monotheism in Israel, and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Later generations further developed these initial insights, but we have never grown beyond them. In The Great Transformation, Karen Armstrong reveals how the sages of this pivotal era-whose ideas share the values of selflessness, empathy, and respect for others-can speak clearly and helpfully to the violence and desperation that we experience in our own times and teach us to revive the spirit of compassion that is the basis of all religious traditions. She traces the development of the Axial Age chronologically, examining the contributions of such figures as the Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the mystics of the Upanishads, Mencius, and Euripides. All of the Axial Age faiths began in principled and visceral reaction against the unprecedented violence of their time. Despite some differences of emphasis, there was a remarkable consensus in their call for an abandonment of selfishness and a spirituality of compassion. With regard to dealing with fear, despair, hatred, rage, and violence, the Axial sages gave their people and give us, Armstrong says, two important pieces of advice: that first there must be personal responsibility and self-criticism, and it must be followed by practical, effective action. In her opening and concluding chapters, Armstrong urges us to consider how these spiritualities challenge the way we are religious today. The Great Transformation revives for its readers the most wise and sensible of ancient spiritual practices-practices that hold the possibility for healing in our own troubled times.