Civilization: history, description, common characteristics and importance

• Main Author: Sulaiman, Kabuye Uthman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Journal of Education and Social Science (JESOC) 2016
• Subjects: H51 History; H71 General works
• Online Access: http://irep.iium.edu.my/52807/1/Civilization%202016.pdf; http://irep.iium.edu.my/52807/; http://jesoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/JESOC5_25.pdf

Civilization is a characteristic of people; it is one of the things that set human beings apart from other species.i While it is true that all living things form societies, it is only human beings who have a civilization. A civilization provides man with numerous basic needs and wants. One of the aims of this paper is to expound these needs and wants. They are classified as follows: (a) physical and material (economic) needs, such as shelter, food, clothing and tools, (b) spiritual and psychic (religious) needs, such as a worldview, (c) intellectual needs, (d) gregarious (social) needs, such as companionship and interrelationships between people, (e) military,ii (f) technological needs, and (g) cultural needs. Another aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the following: firstly, history of civilization; secondly, a description of civilized vs. pre-civilized communities, simple civilizations vs. advanced civilizations; thirdly, an outline of the key components that make up a civilization; and fourthly, an explanation of the reasons for the invention of civilization. The study argues that: firstly, civilization is vital to man’s living. Without it solidarity, cooperation and fraternity among people of different nations cannot be achieved; secondly, every civilization, regardless of its size and lifespan, has contributed tremendously to other civilizations. Hence, the reason for describing civilizations should not be to show the superiority of a particular race or ethnicity over other races or ethnicities but to show how the different nations have contributed to the development of other nations. It is expected that this study will contribute to the understanding of the importance of civilization, its history, description, elements and characteristics.