Application: Pointed Arch

Title: Pointed arch, first used in the church of Saint Denis

Date: 1150 AD

Nationality: French

Creator: Abbot Suger
Medium: Concrete, stone

http://chantelleandspain.blogspot.com.es/2012/05/burgos-and-leon-and-bunch-of-old-stuff.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothic_architecture

The pointed arch allowed taller cathedrals to be built during the middle ages. This created the opportunity to make buildings that let in more light and let people experience what goodness feels like. This shows the next step in the learning process: application. After being exposed to information and making valuable connections, it is important to apply what has been learned. Abbot Suger and others used this new information of a pointed arch to build a beautiful church that allowed more light and beauty. Because this church and later cathedrals applied this concept, they created an environment for even more learning opportunities as people were exposed to a new experience and that changed their view. It is important for a civilization to apply what they have learned. If they don’t, all the new information and connections made are pointless. In addition, application sparks even more opportunities to learn. This is the essential next step of the learning process.

Become Different: Meditations

Title: Meditations

Date: Between 121 and 180 AD

Nationality: Roman

Creator: Marcus Aurelius

Medium: Document

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius

This is a good artifact because it shows how Aurelius took the ideas of Stoicism, connected them with his life, implemented them, and became someone different. He was made into someone who had values, who did good, and who was submissive to the Divine Will because of the context these ideas had given him. A new civilization would be able to learn from this and see that the point of the learning process is to become someone different. After being exposed to new information, making connections, and applying the information, we can become different and better, just like Aurelius was changed through what he learned. He became different in his beliefs, attitudes, values and lifestyle. This is a good artifact to show near the end because it describes the last “step” of learning—becoming—that affects who we are and what we do. 

Serve: BYU motto

Title: BYU motto

Date: 20^th Century

Nationality: American

Creator: George Booth (Craig)

Medium: Many

http://purgav.blogspot.com/2009/04/entered-to-learn-going-forth-to_27.html

            BYU’s unofficial motto “Enter to learn; go forth to serve” is a perfect “artifact” to present at the end of all the others. This motto suggests what we are to do once we have gone through (and hopefully continue to go through) the learning cycle. We are to take what we have learned and who we have become and serve those around us. If we have acted, struggled, discovered, found information, made connections, apply knowledge, and become someone different, then we use that to better the world around us. That is the purpose of learning. This is vital for a civilization to understand, because in reality learning does little until it is used to improve the world and serve others. If a civilization never serves and helps others with the knowledge that they have, then learning is pointless and a society can never flourish. But if a civilization uses the learning cycle to serve and help others, then the society will prosper and learning can continue to help the society be lifted continually higher.