Contributions To Western Civilization example essay topic

Question: "What were the contributions to Western civilization from the ancient Greeks?" Throughout history, there have been many contributions to Western civilization from the Ancient Greeks. They made long lasting contributions in the areas of art, architecture, philosophy, beliefs, religion, writings, math, drama, science, government and Olympics, and philosophical teachings such as by Socrates or Plato. In this essay, it will be proven that the Greeks impacted western civilization immensely. In the areas of philosophy the anti-sophist teacher and philosopher, Socrates, suggests that "The unexamined life is not worth living" (doc 1). This quote can be interpreted by saying that it is good to examine your life, or think over it with great caution, and not make mistakes. In other words, every life is important and should be cared for, or else it is trash and not useful, and shouldn't be lived.

In document 2, Aristotle was a great philosophical teacher, taught to reason and learn from mistakes; education is drawn from experience. The Greek teacher believed that in human nature, reasoning is superior. If you live your life according to his principles, you will be godlike. This nature is admired by many. The way you reason or make choices in life adds to you as an individual and your character and identity. The life of reason is still used today in every being and not even computers can do what the human mind can do.

In the areas of medicine, Hippocrates, a wise Greek doctor made an oath of loyalty to his patients (doc 4). He claims to care for them and promises not to give them any harmful, mistaken, or false medicine. Hippocrates didn't do his job for the money, but for his love for humanity and the good of the patients. He wanted to show that he had a great ability and a good judgment, and in this way he outplays his own role in society. This oath has been passed and practiced by later generation doctors. In the areas of math, Euclid was a mathematician who made up the theory that if two straight lines cut one another, the vertical, or opposite, angles shall be equal.

This theory got passed on in books for many years. Books such as The Elements, that is still used today in Geometry. It is a basic factor that everybody learns about while studying geometry. This is an example of cultural diffusion. Document 8 depicts a famous marble sculpture of The Discus Thrower, which represents an Olympic event. Already, this shows that fitness was an important aspect of Ancient Greece.

Myron, the creator of this work of art, made his works mostly about what people should look like rather than actual persons. He made the muscular man getting ready to throw the discus, which requires a lot of strength and focus. It exposes the beauty and structure of the human body. Myron carved the lines of the body to indicate an athlete's excellent physical condition as well as his mental control over what he was doing. This statue reveals that some of the many Greek values were anatomy, fitness, health, devotion to something, focus, and strength. Greeks believed that fitness and health were high standards and they devoted a lot of time to exercising.

One must work hard to reach a goal. Olympic winners were looked upon as idols and were greatly admired, and were also rewarded by the government. This, of course, acted upon later civilizations. The Olympic games, originally held in honor of the gods, by the men, were used for fitness, entertainment, importance, and originality. The influence of Olympic games from Greece on later civilizations and still competed for today, is another good example of cultural diffusion.

With all these facts about Ancient Greece, it is easy to conclude that the Ancient Greeks made many contributions to western civilization, and also to the world today. People's ideas, philosophies, beliefs, and interaction with others, lead to the discovery of many new things, that shape the world and expand the human mind. Once again, this is known as cultural diffusion.