Changes

What can we thank Greece for today?  How about this: the Greeks started the Olympics!

What can we thank Greece for today?  How about this: the Greeks started the Olympics!

But we thank Ancient Greece for far more than that.  Our system of laws and government is partly based on the Greek example, and in particular the concept of democratic participation in government.  Trial by jury is from Greece, as is the concept of a defense attorney (Roman law lacked a defense attorney - note how Jesus did not have an attorney at His trial during the Passion).  Greece established democracy for the first time in history.  Our language, too, is due to the Greek adoption of an alphabet.  The Greeks invented the study of history, so this course is indebted to the Greeks!

We thank Ancient Greece for far more than that.  Our system of laws and government is partly based on the Greek example, and in particular the concept of democratic participation in government.  Trial by jury is from Greece, as is the concept of a defense attorney (Roman law lacked a defense attorney - note how Jesus did not have an attorney at His trial during the Passion).  Greece established democracy for the first time in history.  Our language, too, is due to the Greek adoption of an alphabet.  The Greeks invented the study of history, so this course is indebted to the Greeks!

Ancient Greece had tremendous achievements in the fields of science, philosophy and art.  The concept of truth began to acquire meaning in ancient Greece, as did the concepts of freedom and knowledge.  The idea of moderation illustrated by the "Golden Mean" (whereby the whole is to the larger part as the larger part is to the smaller part, or (a+b)/a = a/b) and the design of ancient Greek buildings like the Parthenon using the Golden Mean in its dimensions were influential as architecture.  The Parthenon (built in 438 B.C. to honor the goddess Athena) is impressive.  It embodies the Golden Mean, which also  occurs in many living creatures and has fascinated mathematicians ever since; for those interested in math, the Fibonacci sequence is a manifestation of the golden mean.  A full-sized replica of the Parthenon sits in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ancient Greece had tremendous achievements in the fields of science, philosophy and art.  The concept of truth began to acquire meaning in ancient Greece, as did the concepts of freedom and knowledge.  The idea of moderation illustrated by the "Golden Mean" (whereby the whole is to the larger part as the larger part is to the smaller part, or (a+b)/a = a/b) and the design of ancient Greek buildings like the Parthenon using the Golden Mean in its dimensions were influential as architecture.  The Parthenon (built in 438 B.C. to honor the goddess Athena) is impressive.  It embodies the Golden Mean, which also  occurs in many living creatures and has fascinated mathematicians ever since; for those interested in math, the Fibonacci sequence is a manifestation of the golden mean.  A full-sized replica of the Parthenon sits in Nashville, Tennessee.