Author(s)

Kai Lv

Corresponding Author

Kai Lv

Abstract

This paper interprets some facts, fictions and fundamentals of the “barbarian” in Westerners eyes since ancient Greek till 15th century, examines the mind embodied in the time travel of βάρβαρος, tries to find the essence of Western centrism and its metaphysical interpretation, traces the evolution of the concept of “barbarian”, providing a key to understanding the European consciousness of the world. It also posits the Greek sense of superiority nurtured the ancient Roman and Catholic Church, developed into a strong Eurocentric vision, a narcissism that never wavered even when their politics, economy, and culture were at a low ebb, and that nationalism, populism, racial discrimination, cultural centrism, colonialism, and ethnocentrism were ghostly present almost everywhere in Europe around the era of the first European contact with Americas.

Keywords

fact, fiction, barbarian, Ancient Greek, Ancient Rome, Eurocentrism