The Expansion of Trade Influence in the Post Classical Era of World History

Just as a good Christian gives to the poor not take, the same applies to the Confucianism principles of the post classical era. Zhang Han’s Essay on Merchants is a description a lot like the characterization of Saint Godric by Reginald Durham. Though it is more general it carries one of the biggest quotes in understanding why religion came to butt heads with trade. The saying by a Confucian classic, Zhuagzi, a Chinese philosopher, resembles that true wisdom and understanding is immense and generous, outstretched and ample. It says that true understanding can’t be hurried; it will happen calmly over time, a lot like the story of Saint Godric. Little understanding is cramped and busy. Zhang Han, in his essay states that men are in love with profit and those with the most are always in the highest spots in culture, they are always the ones who people submit themselves as servants to, and the ones to dress the best in the land. But, he makes sense in saying that the wisdom of these people is the wisdom described as “cramped and busy”, it’s not worth anything.

Whether the expansion of trade conflicted with religion and the system of beliefs of many culture is a question that has many sides to it. Although, the expansion of trade did become accepted as a necessary evil, and it did break the thin line between faithful religious people, and arrogant, self absorbed person. During the postclassical period the expansion of trade has set new standards for who is really rich and who is not, as well as new understandings of who is wise and who is not. It has ruptured the faithfulness of many people in their religions but has giving new meaning to who is the wiser of the commodities.