Why the Worship of Ancient Greece and Rome?

[Rival]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

 

[Altfish]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

Does it really glorify them?

 

[Audie]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

I wasnt aware they are glorified in ignorance of their
shortcomings. Rome seems to be portrayed as
violent and cruel.

Maybe you are asking the wring question.

Here, much is made of the achievements
in our history, without anyone actually wanting to go back.
I see that Anglos like King Arthur style
times, as a thing to see as having been glorious, tho few would like living there / then.
Glorify ( your word) pirates of the Spanish Main, for
goodness sake!
There is nothing mysterious to me about
the admiration of the incredible cultural
achievements in ancient Greece.
Why is it to you?

 

[KWED]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

You don't watch a lot of TV then?

 

[Glaurung]

Pointing out that the ancient world was a brutal and often unjust place is to state the obvious. But that in no way detracts from our ability to appreciate the ancient genius that still informs how we think and do things to this very day.

 

[Rival]

Pointing out that the ancient world was a brutal and often unjust place is to state the obvious. But that in no way detracts from our ability to appreciate the ancient genius that still informs how we think and do things to this very day.

This is true; I'm more talking about our tendency to worship Ancient Geece and Rome whilst chucking Mediaeval Europe almost completely under the bus.

 

[Rival]

You don't watch a lot of TV then?

No

 

[Secret Chief]

Well, I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. As Plato said.

 

[Rival]

I wasnt aware they are glorified in ignorance of their
shortcomings. Rome seems to be portrayed as
violent and cruel.

Maybe you are asking the wring question.

Here, much is made of the achievements
in our history, without anyone actually wanting to go back.
I see that Anglos like King Arthur style
times, as a thing to see as having been glorious, tho few would like living there / then.
Glorify ( your word) pirates of the Spanish Main, for
goodness sake!
There is nothing mysterious to me about
the admiration of the incredible cultural
achievements in ancient Greece.
Why is it to you?

Because we seem to glorify them at the expense of others.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

Yeah, all ancient societies were horrible and that is so for all of them. But for us as Westerners we are a combination off Greek, Roman and Christian ideas and even that is to simple. But it pays to understand that and acknowledge and understand how some of those ideas are still with us.

For example science, truth, evidence, ratiltionaly and all those words are at minimum a combination of all 3.
So we are Greek, Roman and Christian in our heritage and all the old forms were horrible, yet they are a part of what got us here.

 

[mikkel_the_dane]

Because we seem to glorify them at the expense of others.

Well, I give credit where due to all 3 and admit to the bad in all 3.

 

[Secret Chief]

This is true, I'm more talking about our tendency to worship Ancient Geece and Rome whilst chucking Mediaeval Europe almost completely under the bus.

Well there's the notion of the Dark Ages too I suppose, anti- scientific attitudes and predating the Age of Enlightenment.

 

[Rival]

Well there's the notion of the Dark Ages too I suppose, anti- scientific attitudes and predating the Age of Enlightenment.

And all complete nonsense.

 

[Audie]

Because we seem to glorify them at the expense of others.

This seems to be nothing but your opinion.
I dont suppose you have any facts to go with it?

What expense to what others?

 

[Secret Chief]

And all complete nonsense.

Complete? How so?

 

[Rival]

This seems to be nothing but your opinion.
What expense to what others?

The Enlightement gave us a skewed view that everything post fall of Rome up to the Enlightenment was horrible. That Greece and Rome were better and the Middle Ages were some sort of millennia long mistake wherein nothing good really happened.

 

[Rival]

Complete? How so?

Scholars have long since dropped the term Dark Ages.

The Mediaeval period gave us much science and gave rise to the modern university. It was not the horrible dark period folks believe. This idea is exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about really, 'Ancient Greece was science and the Middle Ages were anti-science'.

 

[Audie]

The Enlightement gave us a skewed view that everything post fall of Rome up to the Enlightenment was horrible. That Greece and Rome were better and the Middle Ages were some of of millennia long mistake wherein nothing good really happened.

I dunmo, you seem like on a Quest for some issue.

 

[ChristineM]

These societies were horrible to 90% of the folks who lived in them, so why does Western society glorify them so much?

Does it? Can't say I've noticed.

 

[Glaurung]

This is true, I'm more talking about our tendency to worship Ancient Geece and Rome whilst chucking Mediaeval Europe almost completely under the bus.

I don't denigrate the middle ages in the slightest. After all, those ignorant, superstitious, religious troglodytes only gave us the university, the hospital, the scholastic movement, the meticulous preservation of ancient texts, the gothic cathedral, the precursor to banking as we would recognize it... ect...