What do you think were the top five motives (reasons) 15th and 16th century Europeans went on voyages of exploration? Explain your answers.

In the 15th and 16th century the age of exploration had begun. People began to sail, trade, and inquire. They were more introduced into science and they were asking themselves questions. They wanted to know the answers, and they knew that the only way they could find the answers to their inquires was to explore. They started voyaging!

            This might have been one motive already. The curiosity of it all. They all wanted to know whether the Earth was flat or not, where there can be conquering lands, if they will fall of the earth’s age in terror, and helplessness etc. They brought their fears to an end, yet some fears came back. This brought them to question. But they could not only question, they had to have proof to know what to believe. Many started sailing, discovering new lands claiming them there own, and understanding things they did not understand from mere predictions and Church “explanations”. Along their way they found different ways to improve ships, and claimed some lands. Christopher Columbus for example, Columbus was sponsored by Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, he knew that they were wealthy and that if he convinced them well enough that he is going on an important voyage which can lead to the discovery of East Indies, they will provide him with foods, ships, and sailors and they did. They both believed that his voyage will bring wealth and prestige to Spain.  Without their help Columbus wouldn’t be able to start his journey to the East Indies. He sailed across the Atlantic hoping to see the land of Indies. With the curiosity of finding the Indies he accidently discovered the Americas. Columbus was smart and an educated European, except he didn’t know how big Earth really is, he estimated it to be much smaller. Today his name is celebrated in America, we owe it to his curiosity.

The second motive could have been financing. People that lived in different regions knew that there were goods and rich luxurious here and there, and we're waiting to be traded. They also wanted to become a richer, and wealthier region, there was no land where wealth wasn’t a need or desire. All they had to do is set to voyage with goods from their own country. They all wanted to go to Spain because they had gold and silver there the most. Some wanted to set out where spices are very current. Some places however were too poor, they couldn’t voyage, and they were unable to provide sailors with safe ships. Many people benefited from voyaging. If a person was set out to sail, and maybe discover a land, the person would come off wealthier and better known. Financial they all got richer, with the trading they brought gold’s and silvers and animals etc.

Another motive was trade. They all wanted goods and they were all aware of what goods and luxurious there are in the world, they wanted to find the trade route to Asia, and because they knew they had spices, tea, and gold. They knew they would become a country with a culture, and they would be wealthier, and provide themselves for more voyages and make new discoveries, and find more trade routes.  This lead to exploration they all needed the trade route so they can trade and have goods. They were searching for trading places, and along the way made remarkable discoveries. Spices were very big at the time. But really if they found out direct routes to trading, they would be more aware of the world around them, realize there cultures, and who they are.

The spread of religion played one of the biggest roles of the age of exploration, people like Francis Xavier, managed to explore Asia aiming to spread Christianity. He managed to turn 300.000 Japanese people into Christian faith. He told his missionaries to go around Asia and continue spreading before they were banned. It changed how many people think and their views on life. Prince Henry was also tried to do the same as Xavier, except he was aiming for Africa with an intention to spread Christianity. He thought the Portuguese (including him) could convert the African people into Christian faith, even though he knew that they practiced tribal religions and Islam.

Conquering empires and mapping lands were Again Prince Henry sets us a great example; his navigators claimed Azores and Madeira islands. They built up on each other’s ideas, improved them until they finally got the map right, when it became perfection. The only way they found lands was usually when they’re about to set to a trading route and they find a new land. When Prince Henry decided to move from Africa and go to Asia to trade, his plan was to go circumnavigate around Africa to get to Asia. But unfortunately Prince Henry died in 1460, but the Portuguese continued their journey to Asia. As they got to the tip of Africa, they named the tip Cape of Good Hope because it opened the way for a direct sea route to Asia.

The age of exploration started because people were curious, finance was coming of importants , trade routes were being searched for, spread of religion, mapping and conquering lands. We have more knowledge about the world now. We were able to build up on our ideas, like using there maps as rough drafts, then we man discovered a wonderful thing called a satellites that allow us to see the Earth. Today we are able to access maps and see how the world has changed and developed. Our knowledge about the world improved so much. It is easily said that we are always in the age of exploration, because there is always something new to ask, discover, invent.  

  

"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

 Science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge. Science has evolved over the years and it still is, it always will. Man will always have an urge to discover, explore, confirm, dis-confirm tests/experiments, because everything they do really has an impact on how we live thanks to science, and how it applies on our everyday lives. For example, recently there has been a scientist that found a way how to tunr any color eye into blue eyes. They are also finding cures for disease that before were not tried nor tested, and also when earthquakes or any other natural disastear happens, we have science to tell us why or how a disaster had occured. If people were not interested in any of these topics, they are also not interested in science. But people who love to explore they will use science to test and experiment various things. The seed of science is a metaphor for the mans curiousty itself. Curiousity is how science starts, you are interested in something and you want to find the answer/solution to it, you just apply science; that is only the beginning that is why they are reffering to it as "seed" it later grows into something bigger, you gain understanding and you find the answers and solutions. I think this quote is describing how science starts, it starts by ondering and that is only a beginnging.

"Justification by Faith" vs. "The Spark for the Reformation; Indulgences"

The two of these religious points of view are very opposite of each other. 

Martin Luther lived on the brighter side of life he believed that by just believing in God, your sins will be forgiven/earning salvation. He said that God was a caring and loving person and that you don’t have to waste and destroy your own life to be forgiven for your sins. He had believed you do not have to serve the church to earn salvation. Justification by faith was believing in God, and for that being forgiven for sins, but not believing you will always be forgiven.“The offering of [the body] is called a spiritual sacrifice because it is freely sacrificed through the Spirit, the Christian being uninfluenced by the constraints of the Low or the fear of hell.” (The Complete Sermons of Martin Luther, vol. IV, "First Sunday after Epiphany," p. 10)

Then on the other hand we have the complete opposite, Johan Tetzel, the one who believed God was a negative person. God was a mean and harsh observer. He claims that you must be his slave to earn salvation. All humans are sins, therefore he thought that with any deed you do you will spend 7 years in purgatory. All these facts of this evil God people were scared so they accepted Tetzel’s offer; indulgences. They were too scared not to buy any. Tetzel states that this piece of paper releases you from a sin, because really you have no other chance of NOT spending 7 years of purgatory aside from buying a indulgent.

“As soon as the gold in the casket rings; the rescued soul to heaven springs”-Johan Tetzel (famous claim)

Martin Luther Hero or Heretic?

We all have different opinions on this particular topic, and both sides have quite a lot of evidence to them. It's hard not to sit on the fence, but there is one side that does seem stronger to me, and maybe that is only because I looked into it more then I had looked into the fact that he was a heretic. I would say he was somewhat a hero. 

Martin Luther showed interest in the church. He was following the church rules, until he started to question it in quite logical ways. In the middle ages, the rule of the Roman Catholic Church was absolute. They also limited access to the Bible, insisted that masses be held in Latin and that prayers were to be said only in Latin (there were cultures that would burn a person at the stake for teaching their children prayers in their native language). Luther didn't want this to go on, he wanted to translate the Bible into his own language (German) so that more people can have the privilege to read and interpret the Bible however they wanted to. Before the Holy Scripture was translated people had only followed religion out of culture, and because the church had ultimate power. The result was that by keeping the masses ignorant, a priest could teach its parishioners anything they wanted to teach. A true hero would fight for his and other people’s rights to interpret the church, religion and Bible on there very own. This is one of the reasons why Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation when he posted his list on the church door (95 Thesis). He realized that the church had strayed from the original teachings of scriptures, because they were overwhelmed with the power and they knew that they couldn’t risk the power.
His interpretations on the church were only later adapted. After he was thrown in jail by Pope Leo X, he finally escaped and went to Germany to translate the Bible. When Martin Luther died Pope Leo III accepted some of his rules. So technically they waited for him to die to accept his rules and thoughts, that’s being hypocritical, so really they don’t have the right to call him a heretic when they are being ones themselves. The Church was hypocritical in the sense that they accused Martin Luther of heresy for questioning the church and for his beliefs. And then later they outlawed themselves during the Catholic Reformation. Pope Leo X was also quite a heretic himself; there are many quotes that can easily prove his heresy.
Martin Luther stands accused as a heretic yet who is the Church to call him a heretic when they were corrupt and heretics themselves. "How well we know what a profitable superstition this fable of Christ has been for us".  - Pope Leo X, the man who convicted Luther for heresy is going against the Church and calling it a lie! Luther tried to reform the Church and in the process started the Protestant Revolution. He cried out against indulgences and the sale of positions


Martin Luther was a true hero, because he didn't care about the power or the attention, he wanted to get his idea across, even though they locked him up sometimes, he was still a fighter for his and other peoples rights.
(Some information used from our debate note sheet.)

"Blood alone moves the wheels of history." - Martin Luther

We would say that in this qoute there is a metaphorical meaning behind it. When we say blood we mainly mean, the family roots. This qoute is saying the moving of every generation keeps history going and moving. History will never stop as long as we keep the human race going. Some people will always stay remembered, and they are of certain blood, his/her ancestors are keeping thehistory going, and keeping family history. Blood is representing somehting living. Us humans created history, and we will alwyas keep history, we wrote history, we know history. We are history and that is why we keep it going! 

The Sale of Grade Points

School, what is school really? School is made for educational reasons mainly. School makes us become informed citizeen, increase apreciation in art, tradition, culture, teach problem solving, and open up our minds to creativity, and many other reasons. School makes us become something we mainly want to be in the future, but you have to wok your way through to get to your goal. But what if really there was a somewhat easier way to become something you want to be by doing nothing, absoulutely nothing, just giving away money to the head of the school. Easy way to get through. We all know many rich people will succeed with whatever grade they graduate with, mainly becuase they have monye, and they dont have to work for it because its already there. Well the "ISB Indulgences" is the easy way to get out. You pay for a certificate to make up for the bad grade you got on a test or essay or pop quiz, or whatever. For 1,000 you can perfect your score in anything. That is how it was in the Church during the Renassaince period. If you had done somehting horrible, most of the people would go to the church and sin. But when the renassaince started the church was loosing power, inlcuding money. So they created indulgences, which were certificates that was a reminission of temporal punishment, many people believed that if you get a certifacate then its really something, it is not just a confirmation. With this the church was gaingin money just like our school attempted to!

The worlds a stage- William Shakspeare

This quote has different meanings and interpretations. I must say I agree with it. This quote to me means that people can play any role in there life. They can lie throughout there hole life, they can choose to be themselves as well, and there you create a character, a character on stage, and i think in this quote the stage represents life. Life is the stage, and you will choose how to show off your character, because really when we watch a play we discover who someone is acting as through his/her actions. And the actions in real life you represent yourself with will tell people who you are.
Another interpretation that i made is, plays that are played on stage are a series of events, just likke our life. Our life is full of "stages (lives)" that are different, and thats what i think this quote is trying ot tell us. We go through various stages in our life (infancy, childhood, love stories, education, soldier, justice, old age, etc.)
Also another interpretation on this quote is, manipulation. There is a lot of it these days, and it always existed, and always will. What I am trying to say here is that human beings are now treated like puppets, and are manipulated to do things they are not wishing to do, as if it were a human puppet show.
I think this quote applies to everyone, that is why i like it, everybody has different stages, and different changes observed or noticed by others whether the "actor" thinks there alone or not.