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Greek philosophy is still widely influential, often in ways we don’t realize. For example, the New Testament was written in Greek and I would argue the Christianity is more Greek religion than Jewish.
reek philosophy is still widely influential, often in ways we don’t realize. For example, the New Testament was written in Greek and I would argue the Christianity is more Greek religion than Jewish.
Nothing like an example to show the morphing of cultures and ideas and how the past affects the future and embeds itself into fabrics of thought.
Greek philosophy and science provided the foundations for the Renaissance. The sum of western philosophy is rooted in Greece. The scientific method was pioneered by the Greeks. Athenian democracy served as the example for men like Locke and Jefferson. Ancient Greece literally reverberates through all of modern western culture.
A lot of the action in the ancient Hellenic speaking world took place outside of European Greece.
After Alexander laid the foundation for the empire, Ptolemy created world famous libraries and institutions of learning in Alexandria. It was said that as many books as possible would be confiscated and translated into Greek if it was not so already. So Hellenic became the lingua franca of the empire not just for the royal courts but also for trade & higher learning. This continued even by the Byzantines who were Hellenic speaking and preserved what was destroyed in the western parts of the former Roman empire.
The Abassids also translated a lot of Hellenic works into Arabic and this diffused to Europe via Italy & Iberia not to mention when the refugees from Constantinople fled west.
From the looks of it the Hellenes had a lot going for them in the sense that other cultures took what was 'good' from their culture and added it to their own. We can see this happening all the way to our own modern age in the political sphere where the Hellenes' work on democracy in the polis is seen in many countries. It is a gift that we must treasure.
The greek and its history is the basis of Western thought, I personally believe that philosophy and also the cultural context is the oldest archaeological evidence of civilization lost in time, exactly it comes from the world that existed before this... as regards its practical use, depends on what you want to do in your life
From the looks of it the Hellenes had a lot going for them in the sense that other cultures took what was 'good' from their culture and added it to their own. We can see this happening all the way to our own modern age in the political sphere where the Hellenes' work on democracy in the polis is seen in many countries. It is a gift that we must treasure.
The Hellenes also acknowledged they borrowed from and were inspired by non-Hellenic cultures.
Apparently, the ancients did not need self-esteem boosts, unlike their contemporary and sensitive, ethnocentric counterparts.
Apparently, the ancients did not need self-esteem boosts, unlike their contemporary and sensitive, ethnocentric counterparts.
Interesting way of putting it. I'm usually in awe of how the thought processes of the ancients have filtered down to us to this day. They thought the 'big' thoughts. Sometimes I wonder if we cherish them as we should in our modern age..
Ancient Greece is not "studied so much" in school. Be grateful you were exposed to this culture and any other culture.
Ancient Greece had a profound influence on subsequent Western cultures. The Romans borrowed heavily from their math and science and contributed little. The Greeks were the first to put names on many mathematical and scientific theories, so they deserve attribution.
As for their influence on Europe during their time, consider that much of the rest of Europe was not in a position to appreciate the contributions of the Greeks at that time.
Sometimes the importance of a place isn't as obvious as later generations see it. The golden age of Athens, during which the majority of the mathmatics and philosophy were written did not even last a hundered years. They had one generation of genus which blossomed and was in the end destroyed by those who were threatened by the implications and held the power. The power of Athens as a city state dwindled as well after that. Their forms of goverment were borrowed, but they chose to use them to destroy what was to be one of the brightest moments in human history.
Europe at the time was tribal and basic, subject to wars and would not have suffered the Greeks for long. But sometimes things happen only in their time.
Europe at the time was tribal and basic, subject to wars and would not have suffered the Greeks for long. But sometimes things happen only in their time.
In our day, with King Kong, we said it was 'beauty that killed the beast'. After Athens' shining golden age arguably we may say they had beauty for awhile but the weaknesses of human nature did them in.
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