The Greeks made incredible and important contributions to numerous disciplines. The Greek Philosophy had the greatest effect on the Western Culture. Greece gave the modern Western civilization its grasp and understanding of cosmogony, philosophy, and theology (Soames, 2019). It also impacted areas of politics, governance, social sciences and other sciences.
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Plato and Socrates are among the major shapers of Western culture. Their logical thoughts continue to influence the way the people in the West see, do and be. They made tremendous contributions to philosophy, mathematics, medicine, astronomy, art, architecture, literature and modern drama. Throughout history, the ancient Greeks have impacted Western civilization and the influence is still felt. The Greek culture influenced the Roman Empire and many other civilizations in the manner of creating sophisticated sculpture and architecture (Soames, 2019).
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Ancient Greek Philosophy was built on the doctrine of reason and inquiry. The Greek philosophy was keen on emphasizing logic and championed the idea of being impartial, rational and observing the natural world in the quest to understand phenomena. In modern days, the Western culture implements these philosophies in most decision-making processes, explanations of theories and understanding concepts.
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We owe our basic mathematics knowledge such as Geometry and the concepts of mathematical proofs to the ancient Greek mathematicians such as Pythagoras. Western cultures have exploited these concepts in calculation of distance, area, circumference and surface area. These concepts have made life smoother and solving of questions very easy and possible. The ancient Greeks tried to describe the planetary movement by establishing the first astronomic models. This became the backbone of the modern solar system, influencing the study of heavenly bodies, astronomy, meteorology, climate change, diurnal variations and weather changes. This knowledge can be used in predicting seasons, planning ahead and making informed decisions.
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Plato was phenomenal; he changed the questions of his mentor and teacher-Socrates into written form. He wrote on various topics of drama and biology. This exemplified the Greek philosophical culture. These great works by Plato were a game changer in the literature and art domain as he inspired the genre of Greek comedy plays (Georgiadis, Sarigiannidis, & Theriou, 2021). The styles that were used in the original works are still being used in the modern plays.
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Plato was very keen that he recognized the need for humans to work together for the mutual benefits and profit. He was passionate about society and believed that each individual has different skills and attributes, and if well combined and worked together, the total productivity would increase exponentially. This is the modern basis of specialization, and division of labor in industries. The current groups of people who are driven to produce things, those that protect these things and those that gives reason to these things. This is the backbone of innovation and invention.
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The Greek philosophers were excellent in capturing the human form (Soames, 2019). They sculpted and created human forms that were unique, fascinating and idealized to perfection. There figures are still sold at very high prices because of their artistic magnificence ever to be seen by any civilization. They built some of the finest, urbane and distinctive buildings. These include; temples, stadia and theatres. These works are still being copied and cannot be explained even in the modern era. Their buildings were simple, proportional, had perspective and harmony- this influenced the Roman Empire and provided the foundation of the classical architectural orders that now dominate the Western World till date.
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Plato was interested in understanding the relationship between man-made and natural structures. He also related the impact of this relationship on people and society. He tried to find meaning in this by trying to explore the meaning of justice. He built the first university in Europe- this would later foster social advancement and progressively influence governance till modern day. Plato established a political and economic model that worked to benefit all members of society (Georgiadis, Sarigiannidis, & Theriou, 2021). Using this model, life has been made easier and bearable. In modern society, people work together for mutual gain leading to a prosperous and thriving and stable political and socioeconomic structure.
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The Platonic love is believed to be the doctrine of friendships and attempts to explain excellence and adoration. Using several characters, Plato was able to explain how man begin feelings of attachment to another given individual that then leads to love and admiration of the moral and physical excellence. This philosophy has been used to explain relationships that have no sexual element but are very stable and promising.
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The greatest and last of Plato’s works is the Laws and Timaeus. This documents the creation of the earth by the demiurge. This philosophy describes how Plato made the universe out of the four components: fire, air, water and earth. These he called the body of the universe and are currently used and regarded as essential sciences, that is, material and space sciences. This was a subject of society, the Laws was concerned with defining the ideal state, planned a practical yet imperfect government that is realistic (Bazaluk, 2017). The influence of Plato and the Greek philosophy on the Western world is overwhelming and vast. The philosophers were logical thinkers and were responsible to most ancient century discoveries that continuously impact our lives till now. We should all understand and appreciate their impact and conduct more research into their philosophies so as to get meaning and relevance.
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