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Greek culture impact on today
Greek culture impact on today
The lasting impact the Greeks have had on modern culture
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Major Greek contributions include astronomy, optics, and acoustics, along with major advances in mathematics. Science in ancient Greece was based on logical thinking and mathematics. The Greeks were very interested to know about the world, the heavens, and themselves. Greek geniuses were articulate thinkers. (Pg. 55, Society and Technological Change)
The Greek philosophers were very much drawn to mathematics. They invented its generality, analyzed its premises, and made notable discoveries of theorems by a rigid adherence to deductive reasoning. Geometry became the basic instrument for measuring all things. (Weinkopf, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/GreekScience/Students/Chris/GreekMath.html)
Plato examined the difference between the untrustworthy and changing world of the senses and that of the permanent truths that could only be found through rational thought. The unchanging elements of geometry were the measures of this ideal, permanent thought-world. This union of logic with geometry laid the foundations of the Western way of life. (Pg.17, The Day The Universe Changed)
Pythagoras studied geometry, and discovered the general proof of the theorem about right-angled triangles. He insisted on generality in reasoning. He is said to have taught that the mathematical entities, such as numbers and shapes, were the ultimate stuff out of which the real entities that we perceive are constructed. He discovered the importance of dealing with abstractions; and in particular directed the attention of number as characterizing the periodicity of notes of music. His followers made important contributions to medicine and astronomy and were...
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Changing Minds.org (2002). Syllogisms. Retrieved October 5, 2005, from
http://changingminds.org/disciplines/argument/syllogisms/syllogisms.htm
Greek Biology. Retrieved October 5, 2005, from http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/sirrobhitch.suffolk/Portland%20State%20University%20Greek%20Civilizatio
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Technology Museum of Thessaloniki (2001). Ancient Greek Technologists. Retrieved
October 5, 2005, from http://www.tmth.edu.gr/en/aet/1.html.
Geometry, a cornerstone in modern civilization, also had its beginnings in Ancient Greece. Euclid, a mathematician, formed many geometric proofs and theories [Document 5]. He also came to one of the most significant discoveries of math, Pi. This number showed the ratio between the diameter and circumference of a circle.
Plato registered the world around him as two separate realities, the visible world and the intelligible world. The essential difference in these worlds is in that the visible world is changing whereas the intelligible world is unchanging and eternal. The visible world consists of physical objects in their images, shadows, and reflections. Physical objects are in a constant state of flux, they are transient
Western civilization can be seen from Egypt as early as 3000 B.C., when civilization was in its early stages. The Egyptians and Mesopotamian people groups started thoughts that are still connected with civilization today. These people groups started to advance with building up a composed dialect, sorting out urban communities, battling with issues that emerged with people now living more like each other, being subordinate upon each other for survival and wresting with legislative issues and administrative structure. Impacted by the Egyptians and Mesopotamian individuals, Romans and Greeks later assumed a key part in the development of civilization. These rising civilizations ambled through building up political frameworks, military fortifications,
For Plato, Forms are eternal and changeless, but there is a relationship between these eternal and changeless Forms and particular things we perceive by means of our senses in the world. These particular things change in accordance to the perceiver and the perceiver’s environment and this is why Plato thought that such things do not possess real existence. For Plato, onl...
The Ancient Greek contribution ranged by the 1900-133 BC, however its influence on the Western Literate Society lasts to this day. As the Greeks expanded their empire, they spread their ideas to other countries, while also borrowing from other cultures. During this period of time, the Greeks made many significant and long-lasting contribution to our modern culture in Philosophy, Art, Democracy, Drama, Math, and Science. These givings of important ideas, inventions, and structures have had an extraordinary influence on the surrounding environment, society, and in the future. The essential contribution of Greeks to the Western Civilization are Democracy, Art, and Philosophy.
For Plato, the rigorous dichotomy between the visible and the intelligible realms was always central to his views as philosopher, particularly in the case of the good. The common citizens of ancient Greece, as was mentioned in Book VI, often tended to regard the good as something material that can be touched; therefore they praised beauty and deemed pleasure as the example of the good. Plato’s argument was that their position was false as the good was intelligible and could not be explained by the visible. Here comes another important aspect to grasp from Plato’s philosophy: the existence of Forms – Ideals. To him, the true was what did not change. Opinions change, beliefs change, but forms – or ideas - do not as they are universal. Nor are they divisible and could be represented in the material form. The people of ancient Greece were considered by him to be obsessed with that which changes over time; since the forms were universal, the people mistakenly called all beautiful things the good things and took opinions for ideas.
Astronomy is a very important field in science. Ancient Greece, China, and India all contributed to our everyday ideas and uses of astronomy. Ancient Greece was the most influential because the Indian’s based most of their astronomy off of Greece. The Greeks created calendars that were based off of the eclipse cycle, which they called by two different names, Hellenic Calendars and Lunisolar Calendars. Because of Ancient Greece, we now have calendars to keep us on track every day. The Greeks observed a celestial object passing through the eastern and western morning sky. After a long time of observations, they came to a realization that it was a planet and now that is the planet is well known as Venus. (Sarton, 75) Plato and Aristotle’s theories were incredible contributions on us today. Both of their theories were all about the behavior and life of the planets, such as their theory that the earth is spherical. (Sarton, 421). Ancient Greece als...
Long before the time of Thales, a citizen of Miletus, in the district of Ionia on the west coast of Asia Minor, Chaldaen astrologers had listed data on the position of the stars and planets. As Thales studied these tables he thought he discerned a pattern or regularity in the occurrence of eclipses, and he ventured to predict a solar eclipse that occurred on May 28th 585BC. Some scholars think that this was just a lucky empirical guess, but if it was the discovery of an astronomical regularity or natural law, then Thales may be credited with distinguishing Greek philosophy and science from the somewhat aimless observations and disjointed information of the Eastern wise men. When a law is formulated, Man's wonder at the phenomenon is supposed to be satisfied, and nature is said to be explained and understood. Thales is also credited with the discovery of several theorems of geometry and with diplomatic, engineering, and economic exploits. If there is a difference between science and philosophy, it is that the regularities of science are relatively restricted, whereas the more general principles, called 'philosophic' apply to wider areas. Thales's more general speculations concerned the constitution of the universe. What is the world made of? Are there many elements or is there but one? And if one, what is it? These questions dominated the entire Pre-Socratic period; and they are still live issues today; and if Thales's answer seems crude to a so-called sophisticated 21st century mind, his motivation and procedure may prove as profound as any contemporary inspiration.
The mathematicians of Pythagoras's school (500 BC to 300 BC) were interested in numbers for their mystical and numerological properties. They understood the idea of primality and were interested in perfect and amicable numbers.
Euclid also came up with a number of axioms and proofs, which he called “postulates.” Some of these postulates relate to all sciences, while other postulates relate only to geometry. An example of a Euclidean postulate that relates to all sciences is “The whole is greater than the part.” An example of a Euclidean postulate relating only to geometry is “You can draw a straight line between any two points.” Although these postulates seem extremely simple and obvious to us, Euclid was the first person to state them, as well as prove them to be true without question. These simple postulates really help with more complicated math and sciences, such as advanced geometry. For example, when doing advanced geometry involving a lot of lines and shapes, it is extremely helpful to know for sure that any single line can never contain more than one parallel line.
Euclid was one of the world’s most famous and influential Mathematicians in history. He was born about 365 BC in Alexandria, Egypt, and died about 300 BC. His full name is not known but Euclid means “good glory”. Little was ever written about Euclid and much of the information known are from authors who wrote about his books. He studied in Plato’s ancient school in Athens and later went to Alexandria in Egypt, where he discovered a well-known division of math, known as Geometry. Thus, he was named ‘The Father of Geometry’. Euclid taught at Ptolemy’s University, Egypt. At the Alexandria Library, It was said that he set up a private school to teach Mathematical enthusiasts like himself. It’s been also said that Euclid was kind and patient, and has a sense of humor. King Ptolemyance once asked Euclid if there was an easier way to study math and he replied “There is no royal road to Geometry”.
...at have also contributed to the field of mathematics in a huge way. There are so many different fields that are associated with mathematics. Mathematics is used in everybody’s everyday life. The math can range from simple things to more complex and in-depth of problems that are needed in a person’s regular day. Whether or not someone knows that that they have used a form of mathematics in a certain way does not mean they did not use it. That person may have just simply dialed a number in their cell phone to call a friend. Like Pythagoras said, all numbers are associated with mathematics. Now whether everything is associated with numbers can be argued upon a whole different topic. Mathematics is always in a person’s daily life, and Pythagoras helped argue that point. He also helped contribute many ideas of mathematics to help expand the knowledge of the people today.
They constructed the 12-month calendar which they based on the cycles of the moon. Other than that, they also created a mathematical system based on the number 60 which they called the Sexagesimal. Though, our mathematics today is not based on their system it acts like a foundation for some mathematicians. They also used the basic mathematics- addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, in keeping track of their records- one of their contributions to this world, bookkeeping. It was also suggested that they even discovered the number of the pi for they knew how to solve the circumference of the circle (Atif, 2013).
The basic of mathematics was inherited by the Greeks and independent by the Greeks beg the major Greek progress in mathematics was from 300 BC to 200 AD. After this time progress continued in Islamic countries Unlike the Babylonians, the Egyptians did not develop fully their understanding of mathematics. Instead, they concerned themselves with practical applications of mathematics. Mathematics flourished in particular in Iran, Syria and India from 450B.C. Major progress in mathematics in Europe began again at the beginning of the 16th Century.