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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sam who wrote (247391)	3/14/2014 8:45:57 AM
From: SiouxPal	Respond to of 541933

Dang you're one smart cookie about that time. I had four years of Latin, and didn't learn a damn thing. PBS is a pal though

To: Sam who wrote (247391)	3/14/2014 12:37:24 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541933

Not to mention, almost everything written of by western thinkers, can be found in eastern thinkers, usually from an earlier date. The history we study here is really only western history. With globalization. perhaps this will be corrected. All of history is available to us now. en.wikipedia.org "The majority of traditional Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States eras, during a period known as the " Hundred Schools of Thought", [1] which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural developments. [1]Although much of Chinese philosophy begins in the Warring States period, elements of Chinese philosophy have existed for several thousand years; some can be found in the Yi Jing (the Book of Changes), an ancient compendium of divination, which dates back to at least 672 BCE. [2] It was during the Warring States era that the major philosophies of China, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, and Daoism, arose, along with philosophies that later fell into obscurity, like Agriculturalism, Chinese Naturalism, and the Logicians." en.wikipedia.org " India has a rich and diverse philosophical tradition dating back to the composition of the Upanisads in the later Vedic period. According to Radhakrishnan, the oldest of these constitute "...the earliest philosophical compositions of the world." [1] Since the late medieval age (ca.1000-1500) [2] various schools ( Skt: Darshanas) of Indian philosophy are identified as orthodox ( Skt: astika) or non-orthodox (Skt: nastika) depending on whether they regard the Veda as an infallible source of knowledge. [3] There are six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy and three heterodox schools. The orthodox are Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva mimamsa and Vedanta. The Heterodox are Jain, Buddhist and materialist ( Carvaka). However, Vidyara?ya classifies Indian philosophy into sixteen schools where he includes schools belonging to Saiva and Rasesvara thought with others. [4] The main schools of Indian philosophy were formalised chiefly between 1000 BC to the early centuries AD. Subsequent centuries produced commentaries and reformulations continuing up to as late as the 20th century by Aurobindo and Prabhupada among others. Competition and integration between the various schools was intense during their formative years, especially between 800 BC to 200 AD. Some like the Jain, Buddhist, Shaiva and Advaita schools survived, while others like Samkhya and Ajivika did not, either being assimilated or going extinct. The Sanskrit term for "philosopher" is darsanika, one who is familiar with the systems of philosophy, or darsanas. [5]"

To: Sam who wrote (247391)	3/14/2014 12:39:44 PM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 541933

Again, very well said. If we had a five star recommendation system, I would give your posts on the Greeks ten stars.

To: Sam who wrote (247391)	3/14/2014 12:50:09 PM
From: koan	Respond to of 541933

Will Durant wrote an entire book on the ancient Greeks. He studied them thoroughly. He studied all of history and found the Greeks the smartest of all the cultures and people. I agree with him. I know of no big thinkers for almost 2,000 years after the demise of Greece and I have looked my whole life. And no better culture than the Athenians until modern times. That is my favorite quote of all time as it juxtapositions reason against myth and presents reason as a constant. No other culture and large mass of people sought reason until modern times that I know of. What Durant was getting at, is that religion is myth and they differ all over the world, so cannot be depended on for good ideas, and so many of us, like me, just see myths as primitive nonsense with no reason at all. What I have never understood Sam, is why pollute reason and ideas with myth. I think that is what Durant was getting at. What is the point or need? None I can see, it just convolutes the subject matter at hand. What many of the great Greeks were engaged in was very heavy thinking and that is why he compared them to we. The process of honest thinking is a big deal. Few have done it throughout history. And many of the ancient Greeks were doing just that.

To: Sam who wrote (247391)	3/14/2014 3:25:35 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541933

I think it is also important to understand the audience and purpose for the texts in question. A bible, written to persuade people to believe something on faith, is quite a bit different from philosophical writing written to the literate in philosophy. It's the difference between a child's story and a college text. The bible can be read to, and understood by, children- or people who think like children. Obviously there are layers beyond that, which the more educated can plumb, but that's not necessary. On the other hand, the Greek philosophers weren't writing for children- and they figured their readers were not only literate, but understood much of what they understood. I teach a philosophy unit, and I'm always struck, every time I teach it, by the depth and breadth of Greek thought- not all of it critical of Athens or its government or leaders or people(and let's not forget all the scientific philosophy, and medical philosophy- in which science combines with philosophy). It's true that the flowering of Athenian culture is mostly what is represented- but imagine what was lost. Libraries have burned; cities have been sacked- we have a miniscule amount of writings left to us out of the amount that must have existed at one time. We know that because works often refer or cite other works- so we know there were treasures we no longer have access to. Although there is no one Greek thought (I agree with you there), I do think the Greek life of the mind was pervasive and systemic, and not a mere ripple in the social life of the Greeks.