Opening the West to New Horizons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Opening the West to New Horizons - Essay Example To receive a better understanding of the difference between Carl and David, it is essential to go through and compare the two geographers and their way of thinking. Carl was a more open minded sort who felt as if cultures should be respected and studied in depth to understand how various people used their surroundings to flesh themselves out. He believed that past societies developed their cultures according to what was available to them. Take for instance a culture built near an ocean. Carl would believe that most certainly the ocean and seafaring would certainly play roles in the development of the societies religion and moral codes. Water could be considered sacred to such a society. Then there is the other end of the spectrum, where David Livingstone comes in. Although he still respected many other cultures, he almost felt they were inferior to the modern ideals of Christianity. He believed that through Christ, many cultures across the world could open themselves to Western culture and commerce, and that it would benefit them more than their own cultures. He felt a need to spread the word of God to these various other societies without regarding their own cultures as nearly important as the will of God. He believed that no matter what conditions the society was in, by following God and Christ, they could reform and better themselves in every aspect of life, no matter what, and made it his lifes mission to accomplish this.