| Term Paper Title | The Greek Civilization |
| # of Words | 831 |
| # of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) | 3.32 |
The Greek Civilization
The Greek view of human existence differed from the views of people from other
civilizations to a certain extent. They felt that anything worth doing was, worth doing
well, and that a person should try to perfect all of their talents, instead of focusing on just
one. The Greek civilization is an interesting one, and I will try to tell about its similarities
and differences as opposed to other civilizations that we have discussed in class.
The first difference between Greek and non-Greek societies which I will be talking
about is the purpose of human life. The people of Israel follow the Mosaic tradition,
which places great value on the worship of God as someone that is all powerful. The
Greeks on the other hand, follow the Homeric tradition, which puts all faith in man's
ability to overcome all obstacles which may be presented to him. Another difference
between the two religions is that the Mosaic religion is based on a belief that the present
life is temporary, and that the afterlife is a much more important focus. It is also based on
a God-given system of laws, and that there is retribution for the wicked, and salvation for
the humble. On the other hand, the Homeric tradition stresses the here and now, and that
man is the master of his own fate. The Homeric traditions were based upon man's law,
and the belief that salvation is the result of human efforts to improve the conditions of life.
One last difference is that Moses said that man was created in the image of God, but
Homer said that the gods were in the image of man.
The second difference between Greek and non-Greek civilizations which I would
like to discuss deals with the role of people in society. In Greece, the citizens were able
to exercise their option to vote. This gave them tremendous power opposed to the
peoples of other civilizations. One such group of people, was the people of Egypt, when
they were living under the rule of Pharaohs. The people of Egypt under a Pharaoh, had no
rights. This type of ruler, who had the power to control everything, was known as a
totalitarian ruler. The Egyptian people had no conceivable way to better their situation.
The peasants of Egypt, were all laborers, who provided everyone with food, unlike the
citizens of Greece, who had the right to at least vote, no matter what kind of situation he
lived in.
In thi...Read entire document
|
|
|
