Introduction
In Ancient Greece, philosophy played a critical role in the country’s socio-economic and political development. According to Tazzioli and Garelli, education was highly regarded in the kingdom as a means of gaining new knowledge that is critical for sustained growth (8). A new concept emerged where the elites theorized and contemplated various ideas about moral dilemmas, nature, and ethics. The approach to education led most of the teachers and learners to make numerous discoveries about nature and human relations. The fact that there were no proper scholarly-based explanations for some of these major discoveries forced them to present their discoveries in the form of theories and philosophical concepts. A period emerged where most scholars during this period were in some form of race to explain nature and human characters in some form theories and philosophies. Archimedes developed the Eureka theory and Pythagoras developed many scientific theories before the emergence of greatest philosophers in the Kingdom (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) (Papagiannis and Rachiotis 462). These philosophers played a critical role in creating an advanced kingdom that would later rule the world. The primary aim of this study is to investigate how Greece became such a philosophical hotspot in the ancient times.
Discussion
Historical records have shown that philosophy existed long before the emergence of Ancient Greece. In the Egyptian Empire, most of the rulers relied on philosophers to make important decisions on when to wage a war and how to solve internal socio-economic and political conflicts (Shanti 1871). Other ancient civilizations also had some form of philosophical underpinnings that defined their approach to leadership and socio-cultural engagements. However, it was in Ancient Greece that philosophy gained rapid growth and defined a kingdom’s growth. It is necessary to look at the primary factors that promoted philosophy at such a rapid pace.
A Long Period of Economic Prosperity and Political Superiority
Ancient Greece was one of the most successful kingdoms of its time. The stability created by its success in major wars and organized socio-economic systems enhanced development (Gheerbrant and Zeng 197). It was possible for people to specialize in different activities based on their unique skills and preferences. Education became a critical social aspect of the country, especially among elite families. Learning was primarily based on philosophies during this period. There was a need to explain why people behaved in a certain way and why it was important. The long period of economic prosperity and political superiority meant that teachers and their students did not have to worry about any major attacks. They had the time they needed to conduct their social and scientific investigation. The political goodwill also played a major role in enhancing philosophy and scientific discoveries in the kingdom.
Rulers of this kingdom realized the significance of promoting education. It became evident that the new knowledge gained through such systems would help in empowering soldiers and enabling the top commanders to plan their attacks (Papagiannis and Rachiotis 465). As such, the rulers created an environment where philosophers and scientists could thrive in the kingdom. They became advisers to the rulers and were given important positions within the leadership system because it was believed that they had the capacity to solve some of the major challenges the kingdom faced. Tazzioli and Garelli explain that one of the ways through which one could climb the social ladder in this kingdom was to either become a successful soldier or a philosopher (10). Those who could not gain success in the military focused on philosophy, which explains why there were so many successful scientists and philosophers in the kingdom.
Greeks’ Culture That Valued Philosophy
When the Greeks interacted with other civilizations around the world such as the Egyptian Empire, they developed interest in philosophy. It became part of their culture as it enabled them to explain some of the natural phenomena that at that time appeared unexplainable. Shanti explains that although these people believed in the existence of supernatural beings and various gods that controlled various natural occurrences such as lightning, there was a desire by the scholars to conduct further investigation to develop some humanly explanations (1865). The philosophers took a center-stage in such investigations. During this period, these philosophers were also some of the leading scientists at that time. They focused on providing a detailed explanation about various social issues. It became part of the culture as rulers relied on their theories and concepts to make fundamental decisions.
Leaders also viewed philosophy as something that made the kingdom’s culture and beliefs unique to all others that existed at that time. It became the pride of the kingdom as decisions were no longer based on personal feelings. Instead, the king would invite the philosophers to discuss important issues from various socio-economic and political angles before making a decision. The fact that such decisions would be debated by such minds enhanced their success, especially when it came to relations with foreign powers. The new culture meant that the country could only go to war when it was guaranteed a success. The highly educated team of negotiators, by the standards of that time, could easily negotiate on behalf of the kingdom to avert war. They studies human behavior and knew the approach to take when interacting with people from different backgrounds.
Advanced Formal Education
The current formal education is believed to have traced its roots to the Ancient Greece. According to Tazzioli and Garelli, the kingdom introduced a formal education for male non-slaves (9). The kingdom realized that global warfare was changing and the size of an army did not matter much in determining success. It was critical to have careful planning and effective training of the officers. To achieve that goal, it was necessary to go through some form of training. Education was also considered critical in the agricultural sector that was essential in supporting the growth of the country. At first, it was children from the royal and elite families that benefited from such formal education. However, it became evident that it was necessary to promote learning even among the commons as long as they were not slaves. It was exclusively meant for men because they were responsible for protecting the kingdom and engaging in economic activities. Given the fact that most of the educators were philosophers, philosophy became an integral part of the syllabus.
Learners were encouraged to investigate nature and human relationship and develop concepts that help in explaining things previously considered unique. In some cases, learners worked alongside their teachers to develop concepts that emerged as some of the greatest philosophies in modern society. Formal education also created an environment where great minds would meet to debate issues that affect the society. It was like the modern-day universities where professors and leading academic experts meet to discuss, critic, and develop new concepts. The fact that some students would challenge the concepts that had been previously developed by their teachers meant that there was an active research going on in the kingdom (Papagiannis and Rachiotis 461). It was not just a simple case of an idea being passed from one generation to another. The idea would be thoroughly questioned, and its significance discussed to determine if it was relevant and true based on practical forces in the environment. Such an environment led to a rapid growth of philosophy within the kingdom.
Geographic Location of the Country That Exposed it to Other Civilization
The geographic location of Greece has also been cited as one of the factors that led to the rapid growth of philosophy. As the kingdom grew, it became necessary to explore new territories. One of the new frontiers of its expansion strategy was North Africa. At that time, the Egyptian Empire had evolved and was a major civilization in the region. There were also some forms of civilization in Morocco (Gheerbrant and Zeng 201). The kingdom also interacted with some civilization in the Middle East. The strategic location of the kingdom also made it easy to interact with the evolving European powers. The exposure made the rulers understand the significance of promoting civilization in their kingdom. As such, education became a critical aspect of social development. The Greek explorers were able to determine that civilized kingdoms were more organized and had superior military capabilities compared with those that were considered relatively primitive (Shanti 1874). It became apparent that the only way of overpowering these kingdoms was to promote a superior civilization back at home.
Human behavior and human relations were some of the top fields of study that these explorers promoted. Through their reconnaissance, they realized that deception was one of the best weapons of defeating a powerful enemy. However, a perfect deception could only be developed by individuals with extensive knowledge on human behavior and human relations. They could read the fear of the enemy while at the same time understand their strength and expectations. The information would help them to decide when to use military force, diplomacy, or to set two enemies against each other before overpowering them when they are exhausted (Gheerbrant and Zeng 188). The more they interacted with the world, the greater their level of civilization grew.
Constant Threat of Attack That Promoted Innovation through Advanced Education
Ancient Greece faced constant threat of attacks from various Kingdoms around the world. During the period of its rapid growth, it had to organize successful offensive against some of the most powerful kingdoms in Asia and Europe at that time. In North Africa, the Egyptian Empire was still a formidable enemy that was also capable of attacking and destroying the kingdom. Tazzioli and Garelli explain that in this era, success in war would be defined in two main ways (11). First, a kingdom had to master a perfect at of defense. Defense went beyond having fortified walls, as Shanti observes (1868). It also involved accurate prediction of the pattern of the enemy attack and organizing an effective counterattack. It was a mind game that required the military commanders to know when and how to counter the attacking enemy. The second factor that defined a kingdom’s success in war was the knowledge of attacking a kingdom. The use of military force was not necessary at all times. In fact, it was Greeks who popularized the concept of diplomacy among kingdoms, even in cases where it was necessary to expand. The leaders had to understand fears of the enemy and use the information to convince them to surrender instead of waging a war. They would be granted numerous benefits if they surrendered instead of losing in a war.
The use of military force would come as a last resort when it was evident that the enemy was unwilling to surrender. Such kingdoms would consider going to war when they are assured of their military might. It meant that the attacking kingdom had to come up with a unique approach of launching their attack to achieve the desired goal. Such articulate military plans required broad human relations and human behavior knowledge. The top commanders had to know when to use diplomacy and when to use force. Philosophers were considered highly reliable in helping the military chiefs to make such critical decisions. These officers were also students of the philosophers and had the capacity of making decisions based on the facts they had gathered. For instance, Alexander the Great, considered one of the greatest military commanders of all times, was a student of Aristotle (Papagiannis and Rachiotis 467). He learned a lot about human behavior, making it easy for him to motivate his soldiers and manipulate his enemies. His knowledge and courage enabled him to win all the wars that he waged, creating one of the largest empires in history.
Urbanization in the Country
The kingdom also became a philosophical hotspot in the ancient times because of the rapid urbanization. The socio-economic and political prosperity led to the development of various urban centers across the kingdom. As the population of these towns grew, education became an integral part of the society. Philosophy was particularly important in explaining various socio-economic challenges in the kingdom. Conflicts would emerge among the people, and it became necessary to have systems where such issues would be addressed. Philosophy offered the best way of addressing such concerns because it explained human relations issues. The philosophers outlined how people ought to behave towards one another in a civilized system. Urbanization also made it easier for philosophers to spread their ideas to the populace.
Conclusion
Greece became such a philosophical hotspot in the ancient times because of various factors. The discussion shows that the prolonged economic and political prosperity is one of the reasons why the country was able to achieve high levels of success in philosophical development. The philosophers had ample time to instill knowledge on young students without constant disruptions arising from military attacks. The leadership of the country also supported education as a way of gaining knowledge that is essential for economic and military success. They realized that the only way of protecting the kingdom was to have highly knowledgeable military commanders capable of making critical decisions when attacking other empires or protecting the territories already conquered. Geographic location of Greece made it easy to interact with other civilizations in North Africa, Europe, and Asia. Such interactions promoted acquisition of new knowledge. Urbanization also promoted the development of philosophy in Greece.
Works Cited
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