Democracy In Ancient Greece

The ancient Greek civilizations was innovative in virtually every aspect of their society, transforming and influencing the rest of the world with structurally advanced architecture, sophisticated philosophies, and the world first democratic political assembly. Though speculation occurs about the true nature of innovative thinking in the ancient Greek world, the new ideas that developed there were among the most influential in human history. Ancient Greece had a democracy, which is a type of government where every citizen has a say in important decision-making. For example, the Funeral Oration of Pericles states, “Our constitution is called a democracy because the power is in the hands not of minority but of the whole people.” Democracy
is also another significant legacy, and in today’s society, it is still used in many countries. All in all, advancement in Ancient Greece played a major role in the past and the present way of life.
Greeks saw architecture as art and science of building.
The Greeks adopted post and lintel architecture from the Egyptians modifying and developing their own style of column. They were well known for using three styles of columns in their buildings the Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. The Doric style is rather sturdy and its top, the capital, is plain. The columns are fluted. This style was used in mainland Greece and the colonies in southern Italy and Sicily. The Ionic style is thinner and more elegant. The capital is decorated with a scroll-like design, a volute. This style was found in eastern Greece and the islands. The Corinthian style is seldom used in the Greek world, but often seen on Roman temples. The capital is very elaborate and decorated with acanthus leaves. The buildings in Greece maybe still standing today that use this style of architecture are the Parathenon on the Acropolis in Athens was built in the Doric style. Also the Temple of Athena Nike located very close to the Parthenen in the Ionic style. Many U.S. government buildings have been using Greek architecture, for example the Supreme Court Building in Washington DC.
(Legacies) Trying to figure things out through learning and reasoning was innovated by the Greeks called Philosophy.
The main philosophers that were believed to “change the world” were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates came up with the Socratic Method it was a stage in the history of dialectic, although it is still used today. It is a process of question and answer. Socrates would get a student to state a thesis and then by asking him questions would prove the thesis led to a contradiction. The Socratic Method generally involves Socratic irony. The Socratic method is a technique used in some college classes where the professor assumes the pose of someone who doesn 't know the answer to a question and then elicits attempts at answers from students. The professor shows the inconsistencies in the student viewpoint by means of further leading questions (Socrates). Plato and Aristotle are the oldest political thinkers who thought differently but still managed to bind together. Plato’s ideal city is based on the four virtues of wisdom, courage, moderation and justice. Wisdom makes the city wise, courage makes it brave, moderation is the understanding that everyone knows his or her role and justice means the “harmony that results when everyone is actively engaged in fulfilling his role and does not meddle with that of others” (Plato 85) .The Idealism, which refers to his theory of 'Ideas ', not to the more common usage meaning a 'dreamer ', that underlies many of his works led to
the stream of Christianity called 'Platonism '. This is still an active part of modern Christian theology (Plato). On the other hand Aristotle was the first to create a comprehensive system of Western philosophy, encompassing morality and aesthetics, logic and science, politics and metaphysics. Aristotle 's views on the physical sciences profoundly shaped medieval scholarship, and their influence extended well into the Renaissance, although they were ultimately replaced by modern physics (Aristotle). These philosophies brought to the world the ideas about how life began and what was most important in life. Philosophy has changed the way the Greeks view the world. Those who catalyzed these changes were Socrates and his ask why, Plato and his views on government, and Aristotle with his views on knowledge. Though these philosophers did have their respected different views, they were all willing to stand up and say that something was wrong (Philosophy).
Democracy was established by the Greeks, a government where the people have the right to make decisions about who will be their voice in the justice of the city. The city of Athens was the first to develop democracy which in Greek means “power of the people”. Democracy has been an amazing improvement throughout the ages. It is a type of government in which the people rule themselves (History). We currently are in a representative democracy today, based on Athenian democracy. Solon was a statesman who laid the foundation for democracy in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens. Athenian democracy was for free, male Athenians only in Ancient Greece. Education for men was highly valued, only boys of wealthy families attended schools. The term academy comes from Athens (Ancient). Furthermore under a democracy, the power to make political decisions is in the hands of the people called citizens. All American citizens have an opportunity to vote on political decisions and hold political offices. Throughout the ages, democracy has been a great advancement to people (History).
As you can see, the legacies the ancient Greek left behind are very important in society today. Architecture, philosophy, and democracy were an important element in building the successful empire of Greece and now the government in the United States. Architecture in Ancient Greece helped the world find a foundation on how to structure their buildings for many occasions. The Ancient Greek philosophical tradition broke away from a mythological approach to explaining the world, and it initiated an approach based on reason and evidence (Ancient). The biggest advantage of democracy in polis was the general possibility of taking part in public life for all free citizens. Undoubtedly it helped the citizens of Athens to broaden their minds, their cultural awareness and, what was probably most important, to develop intellectually. Though democratic ideals and processes did not survive in ancient Greece, they have been influencing politicians and governments ever since. Without these legacies the world wouldn’t be what it is today. Our present government is based on Ancient Greece democracy.

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