What if the Roman Empire never fell?

These question has been bugging me today.

1. What would the world be like today if roman never fell, never stopped expanding, and never stopped improving?

2. What would the Culture be like?

3. What would society be like?

Can you try to answer my questions please?

[neogenetica]

First of all, may I ask why you ask US these questions. Besides the diversity of knowledge there seems to be little advantage to posting them here. That is unless you lack the availability of those who would be capable of satisfying  your desire for the answers to these questions.

1. The world today would be very different. Besides Asiatic countries that remained free from Rome it is likely that the roman empire would only become more expansive and even cover the Americas. Furthermore I do believe that the polytheistic roman religion would be dominant instead of Christianity, and indeed christian faith might well be outlawed. In addition technology would be different than today. Some might be branded as witchcraft or some that piqued interest would be studied intensely instead of an even distribution of scientific prowess.

2. The culture could very well remain roman, albeit the futuristic fictional like kind with advanced technology. Some technology might be accepted as a daily part of life for Romans. For instance, of robotics was heavily researched then wealthy Romans might have advanced automatons serving them. It could even be an even advancement of technology driven by roman culture to become some sort of Atlantean culture.

3. The society would grow and diversify. Slavery might still be acceptable and only nobility would rule. It is likely that the society itself would only become more arrogant seeing it's advancements previously thought to be reserved for gods.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

1. The Romans would rule the world, bringing every civilization under the rule of whoever was the current Caesar.

2. They would take culture from other cultures they liked (i.e. the Greeks), and what they didn't like about other cultures would be wiped out.

3. It would be exactly like it was back then, only more widespread. Slavery, wild festivals dedicated to the gods, and there would only be one race (either that, or every race would be somehow intermixed with Roman blood). But no religion would exist other than the Roman religion, and the world would all be under one ruler.

Basically it would be terrible.

Now what is the relevance of asking us this question?

[neogenetica]

My. While I admit that Rome was certainly no paradise it did have amusements, you shape it to be a dystopian mound of racist chaos.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

It was. Just like every other Pre-America land. And even AMERICA before the late 1970's.

They were one of many civilizations who believed in some idea of racial superiority over people who were different from them. They took what they saw as valuable, and discarded anything that dissented from their rule. Never once were they known to try to actually COEXIST with other races. Either you conformed, or you died, or they just plain didn't know about you.

I mean, if they had known you wouldn't fall off the edge of the world by traveling West, they would have done the same to the Native Americans, too. And we likely never WOULD have seen the end of the Roman Empire.

[Zaleramancer]

It's not like cultures change over time or anything.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Hey...ya don't change what you consider to be a good thing.

If it works, they'd keep doin' it 'til it DIDN'T work.

[Zaleramancer]

I think that's incorrect. If it was true, societies would never change.

After all, few people are happy with "Just about works".

If they were, half to social movements in history would not have happened.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Um, America JUST stopped using the military's "DADT" legislation. And The Middle East is still predominantly Muslim after THOUSANDS of years. And Japan STILL has an emperor. You can dress it up all you like, but even with cell phones and computers, people are still considered primitive in many ways.

Like I said, the only time they don't use it is once it's been said not to work. But if it was never opposed (or the opposition was quickly quashed, like in the Roman Empire) then we would all be just a very advanced version of Ancient Rome.

And things invented by any race other than the Romans would likely not come along until WAY later (if at all...)

Honestly, you think that over time, an empire with ROME'S kind of hold would ever give that up and say, "Aw, these poor countries...they should be independent and have the right to their own cultural diversity..."? No. Think FIRE NATION. They would not stop until it spread across the world. And shoot, maybe when they got advanced enough, they might even go after other planets...

The same thing with Britain. If not for getting their butts kicked and finally agreeing to treaties, THEY would still militarily occupy Africa, India, Jamaica, and the numerous other places they occupied until only recently. And they'd likely try their luck to see if they could more places than THOSE.

[Zaleramancer]

Whatever you say.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Well, we can't ALL be overly-optimistic, bordering on naive...

[Zaleramancer]

Still. Even if it was similar, there is no way they could go that long without at least some small changes in culture. The fact that they spread so far means that views would differ from place to place.

As far as what Alex asked..

For one, there would be no dark ages. At least, not over most of Europe. The centralized authority of the roman empire would minimize any random wars (Though not their planned conquests).  

I can't say culturally. There are a crap ton of factors into that. It would be heavily influenced by the culture of the old Romans.

In the world.. For the most part, the countries as we think of them today would be non-existent. I'm not sure if the Romans would have bothered exploring over the atlantic, so it would be possible that the natives of the Americas would have formed their own countries by the time the Romans got there.

Most of the world would be under their aegis, assuming they survived that long.

[Zaleramancer]

It's a bad thing that I don't think humanity is automatically bad?

I think most people are good. If that is optimistic, then I will live with it.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

The changes would be small aside from technology.

Think about it. Non-royals didn't exactly make waves in those days. Anybody who did anything the Romans are famous for (The Forum, numerous other cultural or architectural and technological advances, etc.) were either the Royals themselves, the elders, or the clergy.

The Royals were lunatics. The Wise men were rooted in tradition. That leaves...the clergy? No, they were under the Royals' thumbs, too.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

It's incredibly optimistic. Lie I said, borderline naive.

The past is not nearly as pretty as many countries portray it.

I mean, even mythology was much uglier than they make it out to be now. Vampires, witches and werewolves were NOT to be effed with. And NOW, we think they're cute, and hot and sexy, and people even include them in porn (don't believe me? Google Image Search 'Incubus', and what of that search isn't that death metal band, is porn...made my Incubus search VERY difficult)

People are not innately bad, nor are they all destined for evil, but the ones who are evil often happen to also be incredibly intelligent, and/or (more likely) insane.

Hitler. Saddam Hussein. Osama Bin Laden. Muammar Khaddafi. Stalin. Lenin. Manson. Bundy. Dahmer. Kasczinsky. What's-his-face who began the Church of Satan.

They may not be NUMEROUS, nor are they particularly intelligent, but their devilish charisma is frightening. And with that, they get a following DESPITE not having much else to offer (or even being INCREDIBLY dangerous).

Add the factor that the Caesar depicted himself as a deity to be WORSHIPED rather than simply respected, and they are a force to be reckoned with...

(NOT a rant, just a really long thought)

[Zaleramancer]

I never said history was nice.

One thing I would like to say is that slapping the label of evil on a person or group can be a dangerous thing.
 
It becomes all to easy to justify killing people because you say they are "Evil".

I refuse to be happy about anyone dying. No matter how much they deserve it.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

What? Who said anything about dying?

I was only saying that the past was not pretty. The Romans were overly ambitious, and wanted things that did not rightfully belong to them. Just like their successors the British.

Does it make them outright evil? No.

But does it give them free reign if they have something evil in mind to do with that rule? Yes.

Though, I have a clue as to why you brought up the killing part, so I won't elaborate beyond that.

[Zaleramancer]

Sorry. I'm trying to get my sleep schedule back to normal for school. Which makes me grumpy.

My main point with that was fairly unrelated to what you said.

When you start call groups or people evil, it becomes easy to mentally justify doing things to them that you would never do normally. Hitler probably used the same mental justification to massacre so many people.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Yes, that's true, and yet we're talking about The Romans.

Which begs the question...

Are you talking about the Romans doing the killing?

Or the Romans being killed?

Or has your mind relapsed unnecessarily to some long-forgotten religious discussion (perhaps your justification for not being Christian)?

[Zaleramancer]

More along the lines of...

Seeing Osama bin laden's name > Recalling people cheering about his death > Thinking it's wrong to take pleasure in such a thing (Even if his death was probably inevitable).