Quote:
Originally Posted by Solon
HISTORY - (from the GREEK historia = inquiry) as a written, rational inquiry into the reasons things happened DID start in the Mediterranean, probably with Herodotus in the mid fifth century BCE. I'm not talking about accounts of the past. I'm not talking about lists of achievements or tribute. I'm not talking about divine transmissions of human relationships with deity. I'm talking about history as the application of human reason to understanding the human condition, independent of religious explanations, independent of authoritative "official" versions. This DID originate in Greece.
Rationality, in my opinion, is the crowning achievement of the ancient Greeks and their greatest gift to humanity.
Rather than refute this with accusations of ignorance and bigotry, I invite you to provide counter-arguments - preferably supported with concrete evidence and examples. We at least owe the Greeks as much.
|
If you were to state history in the Western sense, according to Greek rational … and avoid sweeping generalizations you often make about religion, especially Christianity and it’s origins, it’s myths, it’s cyclical end times anxieties being a truly global phenomenon then I could refrain from my contentions and simply read your posts.
And what is the Chinese root for the Chinese word history? Is it also derived from the Greeks?
Western culture, history, religiosity represents one third or less of human kinds culture, history, religiosity; yes, we can thank the Greeks for philosophy and sitcoms, but who do the Greeks thank? What the Greeks accomplished did not occur in a bubble.
Furthermore I never claimed ignorance, I claimed myopia, which perhaps is incorrect terminology; prejudice might be more correct.