Greek Civilization Ancient Greece

Greek Civilization

Philosophy and Ancient Greece

Polis State

The ancient Greek civilization was one of the most advanced civilizations of their time. They were innovators in their own class as they were one of the first civilizations to develop a functioning society, economy as well as a political system. Setting up a political system was one of the most innovative and bold things to do. In those times the Greek lived in small states rather than one nation. This was the establishment of the polis or better known as the city-state. Despite introducing a political system, the polis had to go through several teething problems. Politics was an experimental system with no definite foundation. The problems could be traced back to the time when autocratic rulers ruled the city-states. Due to the transformation of societies a definite political system could not be established. Even though a democracy was established, it wasn't a well-defined one. The governments of these city-states were ruled by the oligarchy (which meant "rule by a few." This system was totally flawed as the "selected few" belonged to the elite and wealthy classes. Only free male citizens of the city were allowed to vote while women, slaves and foreigners weren't allowed voting. This eliminated a lot of people from voting and controlling the city.

Democracy was nothing more than a sham. The rights of the people weren't being represented. However there were a few philosophers who felt the need to develop a proper ethical as well as political system. There was a lack of ethics in society as the government was free to do whatever it felt like. These governments had established very harsh rules as well as unjust laws, which would only benefit or affect one section of society. With the influx of ethical philosophy, the citizens and the society could learn more about life. They could get more guidance to the various aspects of life and learn to see it in a new light. These philosophies were basically ideas on how everything should be conducted.

There was the lack of total guidance. Eminent philosophers believed that there should be a total balance in the system or society would come to a total collapse. With the establishment of proper guidelines and a proper way of life, life could be given a total balance. A lot of factors such as the role of human nature, the morality of politics, as well as the rule of law came into view. With the help of a proper philosophical system the citizens of a city-state would learn to uphold all the morals in society and also learn about their rights.

Aristotle

Aristotle was one of the most eminent philosophers. His views reflected those of the common man. However he believed that every citizen of society should have the freedom to do anything they wanted. They should have the freedom of speech, movement and choice. They deserved the rights to have less pressure on them and function in a free society rather than a suppressed society. If the government rules with a fair hand and exercises the moral and legal rights of the citizens, then everything goes in a smooth pattern. "And that the best form of government is that under which the most people will be happy." As long as the government is good, citizens would be happy. No citizen would appreciate being taxed unfairly or being sidelined due to a discriminatory law. "Virtue must be the serious care of the state" A good citizen would be able to live life as a good person even while not functioning in society. The state did not need to control the movements of the citizens, as it wouldn't benefit them at all. This was very important for Aristotle, as he wanted to see a better society with more tolerance and a better attitude towards the rights of people. If the rights of the people were denied, then it was a big blow to the freedom of people. As long as their rights were protected by a constitution of their rights no one would be able to mess with their freedom.

Plato

Plato was one of the other philosophers who had a simple philosophical theory. He used the story about the people in a cave. The people in the cave represent the people in society who are ignorant of most of the things in life. If their ways of life do not follow the same philosophical teachings of great philosophers they are more likely to ignore it as they have not learnt to go beyond their protective shells. Their lives have not been enlightened as yet because they have not learnt the true meaning of life. His views were that the state dictated the lives of people. Their ways of education governance were so that they could be used to their own advantage. If people were to learn about the true meaning of life on their own it would help them in the longer run. All the citizens should do is to follow proper guidance and discipline their minds to a proper level and seek a proper understanding of life. Basically all he meant was that the world could be a better place and not the way it was defined to them.