Western civilization has commonly embraced the logic of Greek philosophical categories and has endeavored to describe cosmic realities in terms of “time and space.” Individuals, ideas, movements, and even the courses of nations are often interpreted precisely in accordance with these canons. Hence, designations are invariably employed in analyzing civilizations past and present: pre-/post-, Early/Late, B.C./A.D., East/West, Oriental/Occidental, Near East/
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