How Did The Greeks Influence Society
Abstract The Greek culture supported philosophers and scientists who were far beyond their times. By encouraging these individuals to expand both their thinking and their exploring, Greece is credited with some very profound discoveries and inventions that we find monumental in the way we function in modern day society. From aspirin to the water mill, Greeks explored and developed the areas of medicine, biology, astrology, and science. Ancient Greek inventions are in fact the original concepts of some of our most popular and appreciated products.
Influence of the Greeks: Innovative Thinkers
He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past. -George Orwell
The …show more content…
Greek culture serves as a very broad base for which many aspects of modern day society have been built upon. Specifically, this society brought forth enlightenment in the school of thought. The Greeks promoted higher level thinking, which created not only philosophers, but great inventors. Western culture has the Greek society to thank for numerous foundational inventions which are fundamental to the modern way of life. Greek philosophers were great thinkers and highly regarded. They were individuals who were determined to seek the truth to a certain subject or question, regardless of where that journey took them. Greeks believed that humans are unique because they have the ability to reason and use rationality. Greek philosophy is a body of philosophical concepts developed by the Greeks, particularly during the flowering of Greek civilization between 600 and 200 B.Sc. Greek philosophy formed the basis of all later philosophical speculation in the Western world. The intuitive hypotheses of the ancient Greeks foreshadowed many theories of modern science, and many of the moral ideas of pagan Greek philosophers have been incorporated into Christian moral doctrine.
The political ideas set forth by Greek thinkers influenced political leaders as different as the framers of the U.S. Constitution and the founders of various 20th-century totalitarian states. (Greek, 2014)
The Greeks had confidence in the power of the human mind. They used observation and research to determine why things happened. Their way of thinking opened up a whole new manner of looking at the existence of mankind. The time of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle was not always open to thinking “out of the box”. Prior to the ideology these men encouraged, the masses had used mythology to explain the how’s and why’s of the world, or did not question the world at all. Greek philosophy sparked humans to investigate not only what they could deduct from their senses, but to go a step further. Socrates began to explore the individual’s definitions of virtues and beliefs. He wasn’t necessarily looking for a definitive answer, but wanted people to go through the process of questioning and thinking about the world around them. These great thinkers and their research contributed to modern science and the valuable products that resulted from their influence. The areas of math and science were very important areas of Greek achievement. They explored numerous ideas in the fields of astronomy, geometry, biology, physics, and medicine. In astronomy, the Greeks formulated calendars based on the eclipse cycle, the universe was composed of atoms, and even calculated the true size of the earth. In geometry, which is a cornerstone in modern civilization, a mathematician by the name of Euclid, formed many geometric proofs and theories. He also wrote the book Elements, which is thought to have had a major impact on Gothic art and architecture (Williams, 2014). Religious and secular buildings, the ribbed vault, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts are but a few of the contributions that are still visible and utilized, even today. Archimedes’ contribution was one of the most significant discoveries of math, the value of Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle. Today, modern society has better tricks for estimating Pi than the circumscribed-circle method used by Archimedes, but his revelations are the foundations of this knowledge. The process that individuals use in present day math came due to advances in calculus and computing infinite series. However, pi's ubiquity goes beyond math. The number crops up in the natural world, too. It emerges everywhere there is a circle. This can be from the disk of the sun, the spiral of the DNA double helix, the pupil of the eye, the concentric rings that travel outward from splashes in ponds. Pi also appears in the physics that describes waves, such as ripples of light and sound. It even enters into the equation that defines how precisely, we can know the state of the universe (Struik, 1995). These are tremendous revelations that would not have evolved so quickly had the Greeks not been so innovative and open to unique ways of thinking. The Greeks also came to realize that while water was essential to sustain life, it could also be used to make everyday life easier. Water mills were a revolutionary invention used all over the world for the purpose of metal shaping, agriculture and most importantly, milling. To mill meant to grind, and that invariably meant to grind grain. This in turn led to the production of edible food staple like beaten rice, cereals, pulses, and flour. Since its origination, the water mill has seen a number of subsequent variations, which enabled people to use its milling features into different raw materials. These mills are still used in many parts of the rural world to serve similar purposes. This useful invention takes its roots of origination from the earliest known Perachora wheel. This ingenuity was created in 3rd century BC Greece by the Greek engineer Philo of Byzantium. Philo is also credited with the first robot. He utilized springs, weights, and tubes, which interacted through air pressure, weight variants, and vacuum. The end result was an invention that looked like a human maid and would pour wine from a jug with one hand when a cup was placed in her other hand (Modern, 2014). The Greeks explored not only the realms of the land and water, but also looked to the stars for explanatory sources.
The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, is credited with inventing celestial spheres in the form of a model that are the foundation for what is today called a planetarium. A planetarium is a geocentric model of the solar system that shows the positions of the sun, moon, and planets as viewed from the earth at various times. The positions of the heavenly bodies may be indicated through the relative positions of small spheres representing the bodies, as was achieved in Archimedes' planetarium. Modern planetariums project images of the heavenly bodies onto a large hemisphere in whose interior observers are situated. It is thought Archimedes created a mechanical model which shows the motions of the sun, moon, and planets as viewed from the earth. Cicero writes that Archimedes must have been "endowed with greater genius that one would imagine it possible for a human being to possess" to be able to build such an unprecedented device (Deans, …show more content…
2004). Exploring the study of science must also include a brief examination of the famous Greek, Hippocrates.
Hippocrates was a physician who founded a clinical approach to medicine. He promoted cleanliness as an aid against disease. Also, he was one of the first physicians to believe that diseases are a result of environmental factors rather than supernatural ones. He had a very strict view of the ethics of medicine. He went so far as to create an oath that to this day physicians at the start of their medical career must take. This is known as the Hippocratic Oath. When taking this oath, the participant obligates himself to use his best ability and judgment in treating people and to save lives while rejecting medicine or advice that might lead to death (Green, 1990). Hippocrates also left historical records of pain relief treatments, including the use of powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help heal headaches, pains and fevers. Today, this powder is called Aspirin. Hippocrates explored the use of many common plants: hellebore, garlic, mercurialis, celery, leek, flax, anise, beet, and cabbage among others. Some of his ancient texts are even considered a series of reports that are put together like a clinical folder. Thus, the research he found in his era, has become useful in modern medicine (Touwaide,
2012). Ancient Greek inventions are in fact the original concepts of some of our most popular and appreciated products. Those original concepts have just taken on a more modern form. The early days of the Greek civilization gave birth to many admirable philosophers and scientists, and they in turn have managed to pave the way for further discoveries by the following generations. From Archimedes to Hippocrates, the theories and inventions they brought forth are fundamental to the modern world.
Influence of the Greeks: Innovative Thinkers
He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past. -George Orwell
The …show more content…
Greek culture serves as a very broad base for which many aspects of modern day society have been built upon. Specifically, this society brought forth enlightenment in the school of thought. The Greeks promoted higher level thinking, which created not only philosophers, but great inventors. Western culture has the Greek society to thank for numerous foundational inventions which are fundamental to the modern way of life. Greek philosophers were great thinkers and highly regarded. They were individuals who were determined to seek the truth to a certain subject or question, regardless of where that journey took them. Greeks believed that humans are unique because they have the ability to reason and use rationality. Greek philosophy is a body of philosophical concepts developed by the Greeks, particularly during the flowering of Greek civilization between 600 and 200 B.Sc. Greek philosophy formed the basis of all later philosophical speculation in the Western world. The intuitive hypotheses of the ancient Greeks foreshadowed many theories of modern science, and many of the moral ideas of pagan Greek philosophers have been incorporated into Christian moral doctrine.
The political ideas set forth by Greek thinkers influenced political leaders as different as the framers of the U.S. Constitution and the founders of various 20th-century totalitarian states. (Greek, 2014)
The Greeks had confidence in the power of the human mind. They used observation and research to determine why things happened. Their way of thinking opened up a whole new manner of looking at the existence of mankind. The time of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle was not always open to thinking “out of the box”. Prior to the ideology these men encouraged, the masses had used mythology to explain the how’s and why’s of the world, or did not question the world at all. Greek philosophy sparked humans to investigate not only what they could deduct from their senses, but to go a step further. Socrates began to explore the individual’s definitions of virtues and beliefs. He wasn’t necessarily looking for a definitive answer, but wanted people to go through the process of questioning and thinking about the world around them. These great thinkers and their research contributed to modern science and the valuable products that resulted from their influence. The areas of math and science were very important areas of Greek achievement. They explored numerous ideas in the fields of astronomy, geometry, biology, physics, and medicine. In astronomy, the Greeks formulated calendars based on the eclipse cycle, the universe was composed of atoms, and even calculated the true size of the earth. In geometry, which is a cornerstone in modern civilization, a mathematician by the name of Euclid, formed many geometric proofs and theories. He also wrote the book Elements, which is thought to have had a major impact on Gothic art and architecture (Williams, 2014). Religious and secular buildings, the ribbed vault, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts are but a few of the contributions that are still visible and utilized, even today. Archimedes’ contribution was one of the most significant discoveries of math, the value of Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle. Today, modern society has better tricks for estimating Pi than the circumscribed-circle method used by Archimedes, but his revelations are the foundations of this knowledge. The process that individuals use in present day math came due to advances in calculus and computing infinite series. However, pi's ubiquity goes beyond math. The number crops up in the natural world, too. It emerges everywhere there is a circle. This can be from the disk of the sun, the spiral of the DNA double helix, the pupil of the eye, the concentric rings that travel outward from splashes in ponds. Pi also appears in the physics that describes waves, such as ripples of light and sound. It even enters into the equation that defines how precisely, we can know the state of the universe (Struik, 1995). These are tremendous revelations that would not have evolved so quickly had the Greeks not been so innovative and open to unique ways of thinking. The Greeks also came to realize that while water was essential to sustain life, it could also be used to make everyday life easier. Water mills were a revolutionary invention used all over the world for the purpose of metal shaping, agriculture and most importantly, milling. To mill meant to grind, and that invariably meant to grind grain. This in turn led to the production of edible food staple like beaten rice, cereals, pulses, and flour. Since its origination, the water mill has seen a number of subsequent variations, which enabled people to use its milling features into different raw materials. These mills are still used in many parts of the rural world to serve similar purposes. This useful invention takes its roots of origination from the earliest known Perachora wheel. This ingenuity was created in 3rd century BC Greece by the Greek engineer Philo of Byzantium. Philo is also credited with the first robot. He utilized springs, weights, and tubes, which interacted through air pressure, weight variants, and vacuum. The end result was an invention that looked like a human maid and would pour wine from a jug with one hand when a cup was placed in her other hand (Modern, 2014). The Greeks explored not only the realms of the land and water, but also looked to the stars for explanatory sources.
The Greek mathematician, Archimedes, is credited with inventing celestial spheres in the form of a model that are the foundation for what is today called a planetarium. A planetarium is a geocentric model of the solar system that shows the positions of the sun, moon, and planets as viewed from the earth at various times. The positions of the heavenly bodies may be indicated through the relative positions of small spheres representing the bodies, as was achieved in Archimedes' planetarium. Modern planetariums project images of the heavenly bodies onto a large hemisphere in whose interior observers are situated. It is thought Archimedes created a mechanical model which shows the motions of the sun, moon, and planets as viewed from the earth. Cicero writes that Archimedes must have been "endowed with greater genius that one would imagine it possible for a human being to possess" to be able to build such an unprecedented device (Deans, …show more content…
2004). Exploring the study of science must also include a brief examination of the famous Greek, Hippocrates.
Hippocrates was a physician who founded a clinical approach to medicine. He promoted cleanliness as an aid against disease. Also, he was one of the first physicians to believe that diseases are a result of environmental factors rather than supernatural ones. He had a very strict view of the ethics of medicine. He went so far as to create an oath that to this day physicians at the start of their medical career must take. This is known as the Hippocratic Oath. When taking this oath, the participant obligates himself to use his best ability and judgment in treating people and to save lives while rejecting medicine or advice that might lead to death (Green, 1990). Hippocrates also left historical records of pain relief treatments, including the use of powder made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree to help heal headaches, pains and fevers. Today, this powder is called Aspirin. Hippocrates explored the use of many common plants: hellebore, garlic, mercurialis, celery, leek, flax, anise, beet, and cabbage among others. Some of his ancient texts are even considered a series of reports that are put together like a clinical folder. Thus, the research he found in his era, has become useful in modern medicine (Touwaide,
2012). Ancient Greek inventions are in fact the original concepts of some of our most popular and appreciated products. Those original concepts have just taken on a more modern form. The early days of the Greek civilization gave birth to many admirable philosophers and scientists, and they in turn have managed to pave the way for further discoveries by the following generations. From Archimedes to Hippocrates, the theories and inventions they brought forth are fundamental to the modern world.