Ancient Greek city-states and the origins of Western science

Ancient Greece developed eastern side Mediterranean a series loosely connected City-States. Here seeds modern science. Greek philosophers / scientists, Plato Aristotle (Hellenic Era) wealth devote time study natural phenomena, abstract ideas mathematics, astronomy..ID

Ancient Greece: Overview

Ancient Greece is often called the cradle of civilization because the city-states of Greece, most notably Athens, gave birth to concepts that still inform modern life, such as the significance of empirical, rationalist science and the importance of democracy. In contrast to the hereditary monarchy of Egypt, which exercised considerable centralized control over the entire empire of the Pharaoh, Greece was organized into a series of disparate city-states. Athens was run as a democracy of free-born men, who voted by majority rules on the decisions of the city. "Although there were exceptions, many of the city-states operated on the principle that rulers served the people and did not necessarily rule for life, but could be removed. Thus, the Greek lifestyle ran strongly counter to the oppressive, dominant government/religions that had ruled other wealthy societies" (Greece and the birth of science, 2012, University of Arizona)

Even the oligarchy of Sparta was characterized by a communal ethos that other nations at the time lacked. "The goal of education in Sparta, an authoritarian, military city-state, was to produce soldier-citizens who were a well-drilled, well-disciplined marching army. Spartans believed in a life of discipline, self-denial, and simplicity" (Greek Culture, n.d, Ancient Civilizations). The Spartans took great pride in their rigid military system, just as the Athenians took pride in the intellectual ferment their democratic civilization fostered. When the Greeks defeated the Persians, this was portrayed in Athenian history as a victory of Greek superiority over the dictatorial barbarians.

Science was an important part of Greek life, and many of the early concepts of Greek science continue to inform our thought today. The concept of atoms was generated by the philosopher Epicurus and the Greeks began the first system of classification of plants, animals, and the known universe that was based upon observed similarities vs. fears and folk wisdom (Greece and the birth of science, 2012, University of Arizona). While the Egyptians tended to see the natural world as the result of the arbitrary acts of the gods, the Greeks believed in the power of human beings to know and understand the world. Although many Greeks described themselves as pious, their cosmology was fundamentally human-centric. "The ancient Greeks were a deeply religious people. They worshipped many gods whom they believed appeared in human form and yet were endowed with superhuman strength and ageless beauty" (Greek Culture, n.d, Ancient Civilizations).

This stands in contrast to the Egyptian gods, which tended to have animal attributes and were fundamentally distinct from human beings in terms of their ways of interacting with the world. The Greeks believed that the gods were capricious in the manner in which they treated humans and would deal with humans harshly who showed hubris. Yet Greek mythology also expressed a great deal of affection for men like Odysseus, who were clever in outwitting their foes.