Foundations Of Ancient Greece Essay

Foundations in Ancient Greece

Ancient Greece’s contributions to society helped to shape the modern world in many ways. The Grecians, especially the Athenians, developed the basis for rationalism. This idea led contributed to the advancement of the historical method, the scientific method, different political forms, and of humanism and the power and dignity of man. Without these accomplishments, the way we live today would be immensely dissimilar. Civilization as a whole would not be as far as it is now.

Aristotle, a Grecian philosopher, is primarily responsible for the introduction of rational thought into the western world. His empirical ideas brought ancient Greece into a new era of understanding. In Politics, Aristotle uses the idea of rational though to give support as to why democracy works best. By saying that every citizen “must have equality, and therefore in a democracy the poor have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will

His exaggerated description of the Athenian government shows how people perceived the city-state at its height. By saying that the Athenian political structure “does not enter into the rivalry with the institutions of others” and that “[Athens is] an example to them”, he is encouraging the citizens to believe that democracy is the one true form of government (Thucydides, 37). Although there were other forms of government, including Sparta’s oligarchical government, it seems that the Athenians believed their form of government was the best. This provoked surrounding city-states to implement democratic aspects. Democracy began to spread more and more throughout the western world, and although many countries have shifted between democracy and other forms of government, the basis for democracy that Athens laid continues to influence the modern