Western Civ 101-03

Class 6Feb. 2, 2015

The Aegean and Greece

• About 500 years that stand with a few other periods as THE cradle of WC– 300 very good years– 200 really really really good years– (Christianity, Renaissance, New

Science/Enlightenment, 20th c. USA)

Introduction to Greece• What’s the BIG stuff for WC?

-Polis/City-State-Confederation of Independent States-(Limited) Democratic experiment-Education system begins and melds with Political/Social system-Religion moves towardPhilosophy

-Architecture ascends-Writing ascends-Theatre ascends-Plastic arts ascend-Medicine/Science/Mathematics/Technology ascend

Polis

• The organization of communities with– Local leadership– Local food/resources– Local defenses

• Keeps the system out of the hands of a central leader/ship– No kings or gods

• Weak defense from external threats• Encourages AND discourages inter-polis cooperation• Pushes empowerment down the chain.

Confederation of Independent States

• Helps bolster against external threats• Encourages the development of diplomacy

and nation building

(Limited) Democratic experiment

• One of a kind/never before/long time after• Introduces new types of class struggle

Education system begins and melds with Political/Social system

• “them that has” and “them that wants”– Both aspects required educating youth

• Diplomacy required edu• Democracy required edu• Growth of philosophy and other parts of the

knowledge economy required edu

Religion moves toward Philosophy

• Religions focused not only on what happens but “WHY”?

• Religions of heavens, mountains, and earthly intervention . . . But focused on gods & men, not on kings & monarchs.

• MANY MANY MANY (sometimes even sets for a polis) . . . So none can be “all” correct and discussion/debate can ensue

• Answers to “why” are found in other than godly forces: Philosophy

• Religion becomes Humanistic (rather than just divine)

Architecture ascends

• Methods & materials evolve• Goals move toward mathematical AND

aesthetic perfection

Writing ascends

• Oral Culture becomes Written Culture• Ways of speaking and writing (and their

relative value) evolve

Theatre ascends

• It’s not functional, yet, it is luminous• Demonstration of the use of the arts for a

wide variety of purposes (including social commentary and critique of power)

Plastic arts ascend

• WC won’t see this (level) again until the Renaissance

• And no other culture on the planet, until the Renaissance, will come close

Medicine/Science/ Mathematics/ Technology ascend

• Western rationality starts to dominate every sphere– pushing metaphysics, religion, ritual,

superstition, fate, etc., toward the margins– NOT to the point of eliminating any of the above,

but starting to marginalize all of it