How Greek Civilization Came Together

The development of objective thinking by the Greeks appears to have required a number of specific cultural factors. First was the assembly, where men first learned to persuade one another by means of rational debate. Second was a maritime economy that prevented isolation and parochialism. Third was the existence of a widespread Greekspeaking world around which travelers and scholars could wander. Fourth was the existence of an independent merchant class that could hire its own teachers. Fifth was the Iliad and the Odyssey, literary masterpieces that are themselves the epitome of liberal rational thinking. Sixth was a literary religion not dominated by priests. And seventh was the persistence of these factors for 1,000 years.

That all these factors came together in one great civilization is quite fortuitous; it didn't happen twice.

Notes:

And it only happened once.

Folksonomies: science culture civilization ancient

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Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nature of Science

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Cromer , Alan (1995-08-24), Uncommon Sense: The Heretical Nature of Science, Oxford University Press, USA, Retrieved on 2011-05-18

Folksonomies: science skepticism