Lessons from Ancient Greece: Contributions and Limitations

Philosophers, Society, and Olympic Games

Greek scholars began to investigate the world through the lens of observation rather than recounting the myths of their ancient Gods. During this period, Philosophers questioned a lot about life's topics. They are also known as the founders of scientific discoveries. The School of Athens is a fresco by Raphael. It shows the great philosophers and scientists of ancient Greece uniting under one roof. Socrates was included in the list of philosophers who contributed to Western philosophy. He is known for developing the Socratic technique, which he used to argue a point. Instead of lecturing, he would ask his students to challenge their assumptions by asking difficult questions. This method is still used in modern law schools. Plato was the student of Socrates, who founded the Academy of Philosophy in Athens. Its main goal was to find the truth. He is also known for his work The Republic. Plato produced several philosophical arguments that are still disputed today. He recognized that an individual's true function in society can only be realized through education. He supported for state-run education and opposed any sort of coercive learning. Aristotle was a student of Plato. He is popularly known for inventing the field of formal logic. In which the goal of logic is not to prove that humans have knowledge. Instead, it allows us to evaluate and classify the various forms of reasoning. Archimedes, on the other hand, was a well-known mathematician at the time. He was recognized for employing the water method to prove that the crown was made of an alloy of several metals rather than pure gold by using mathematics. Political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, logic, biology, rhetoric, and aesthetics were all influenced by ancient Greek philosophy. These philosophers paved the path for a particular way of thinking that is at the basis of today's new methods.

Governments of aristocracy and tyranny controlled Athens and most other Greek city-states, prompting citizens to demand a better form of government. Democracy was firmly established in Athens during the early fifth century B.C. Cleisthenes, the Athenian leader, instituted democracy through a series of political reforms. It was direct rather than representational in Athens. The original voting system in the United States resembled that of Athens in some ways. Every citizen in Athens had the right to share his thoughts and vote in a vast assembly that gathered to make laws. Citizens were elected to act as organizers, decision-makers, and judges on special councils. The orators are the speakers who address the assembly. Demagogues are another term for them. The assembly oversaw declaring war, formulating military strategy, and choosing authorities. The principles behind the ancient Greeks' democratic system of government are still in use today. The United States and many other countries throughout the modern world have adopted democratic governments to give a voice to their people.

Hercules, the son of Zeus, the deity of lightning, founded the Olympic games in Ancient Greece. These games were held in a large arena in Olympia, Greece, to measure strength, stamina, and willpower. Chariot races, running races, wrestling, and boxing were some of the events featured in the ancient Olympics. Wrestling and boxing, which were once part of the ancient Olympic games are still part of the modern Olympics. The ancient Olympic games influenced the modern games in that there have been many changes between these games, such as the rotation of host cities and the inclusion of events from the ancient Olympics in the Olympic games. To summarize, the ancient Olympic games had a significant influence on the modern Olympic games in that the original games share many of the same characteristics as the modern Olympic games, the rotation of cities is based on the Ancient Greek calendar, and there are events from the Ancient Games that are still held in the modern Olympic games. The Olympic Movement's mission is to promote the sport around the world while also disseminating Olympic principles. It takes place and is celebrated in this spirit. It is centered on three essential values: excellence, respect, and friendship. On the field of play or in our professional lives, excellence entails giving it our all. I am certain that the Olympics will continue to evolve as we become more technologically evolved.

Weaknesses of Ancient Greek Society

Ancient Greek society had weaknesses as well, one of which was their system of democracy. Prior to Athenian democracy, a small group of people made decisions on behalf of the entire population. Human rights were non-existent, slavery existed, women had almost no rights, and foreigners were discriminated against unjustly. Because only a small percentage of the population was involved in politics, the system was extremely undemocratic. As a result, they may not have accurately represented majority consensus. Plato emphasized one of the deepest shortcomings of Athenian democracy: the masses are often illiterate and are easily influenced by eloquence. This implies that individuals may make impulsive decisions that are detrimental to society. Only a few people were elected to positions of authority and most of them landed in high-ranking positions by coincidence. In other words, someone who couldn't even articulate was allowed to make decisions about other people's lives. Athenian democracy had a one-year term limitations as well. While public officials were able to run for reelection, this made it impossible to enact programs because there was not time to do so.

Another weakness is that Greeks are egotistical, and they are only united by their language and Gods when horrific battles occur. Individualistic Greeks were unable to unite against the Romans, resulting in their downfall. Since continual civil war separated the Greek city-states into shifting coalitions, conflict and struggle between city-states shattered a sense of community in Greece; it was enormously costly to all residents of the state. Hellenistic colonies throughout the Mediterranean were aware of Greek culture, although they were not entirely devoted to Greece and the neighboring states were gaining power and becoming more integrated than Greece's city states.

People from Ancient Greece are blinded by their ideologies and ignorance. Ordinary people from various states would travel to Delphi to consult the most prominent oracle in the Greek world. They believed that the oracle would determine their fate, and that acting without consulting the Gods was foolish. As a result, they were unaware that the priest in charge of the Delphi Oracle ran a lucrative business, in which the more valuable the offerings, the more beneficial the oracle's utterance. Priests are powerful individuals in Athens because they control most of the state's economy. They have a system in place where they send individuals from all around the world to gather information on what is going on in the Ancient World so that when people ask questions, they know how to respond. This is unjust because your fate is measured by the number of offeringssacrifices you make to the oracle. That is why, in order to obtain a new perspective, Greek scholars prefer to understand the world via reflection than through mythology.

Conclusion

As for myself, I assume Ancient Greece is the cradle of European civilization because it gave birth to practically every feature of European culture, from philosophy and democracy to the Olympics and even theater. The ancient Greeks not only inspired European civilization, but they also influenced the Western world. Whether it's astrology, mathematics, biology, engineering, medicine, or linguistics, the ancient Greeks initially uncovered practically all the information we take for granted today

Before Rome colonized their land, which led to their demise, Ancient Greece was at its peak. If it hadn't been for their individualistic behavior and ego, they would have been the most successful state at the time. I believe that Greece's culture has had a significant impact on today's European and Western Civilization societies, and I love their outstanding contributions, particularly in Western Philosophy. The Ancient Greece society was not perfect. It is the same with our societies in the modern world. Civil wars are still happening, nations are not united, and even people are individualistic, but I believe in the saying 'A good person can make another person good; it means that goodness will elicit goodness in the society; other persons will also be good.' - Bhumibol Adulyadej.