The Effect of Ethics from the Classical World on our current Western Culture.

Hundreds of years ago, classic civilizations shaped the path for our modern world in terms of ethics through culture, mythology, science, philosophy, religion, and prosperity in economics, and politics.

Ethics and morality are pretty much the same thing, and ethics are equivalent to moral philosophy. This is the philosophical study of moral values & rules such as the golden mean, virtue, right versus wrong, and other fundamental issues of practical decision making. Ethics are a set of principles governing morality and acceptable behaviour like personal behaviour, corporate behaviour, behaviour towards society, and behaviour towards the environment.
Moral philosophy (ethics) is used to determine what values we hold, or "what behaviour is “ethical”?". It is used around the world because it is, and has always been, part of our human history. Ethics is determined by everyday life through the choices we make as people and it originated when humans started to reflect on best way to live.

We see ethics through myths that are still vital in some societies and cultures today. Myths help humans examine how man copes with the physical, social, religious, and political environment. Just like characters from a book, we can learn important lessons and values in order to best live our life. We see these in stories like Narcissus & Echo, Midas, Daedlus & Icarus, Pandora, and The Bacchae. Myths provide mankind with gallery of models (positive & negative) and revealed eternal truths about the nature of man and our personal life quests. For example, we can see this from the Mycenaean’s who valued leadership and Heroism.

For the Minoans, Religion a big part of culture and they Gave women advanced rights and political power. During the Archaic period, with the beginning of the Phalanx formation, we see that there is a sense of community even in their military. From this we see that community had a profound impact on how the people functioned together in their society and what their culture truly valued. Alexander the Great “created” cultural exchange by a vast empire and the Romans valued women, who had prominent role in society (seen in their art).

Through science, our culture and technological improvements can all be the effect of the ancient worlds' society and advancements. Gaelin, the philosopher and doctor, “founded” physiotherapy, discovered nervous system, was skilled with modern surgical practices & tools, and introduced cosmetic surgery. Pythagoras investigated causes and reasons of nature, and believed that “Imbalance affected health and character”. Aristotle linked medicine with biology, botany, anatomy, and founded logic, physics, political sci, economics, psychology, meta-physics, and meteorology. It is because of people from the classical world like this that we have technological advancements that bring ethics into question.

Philosophers sought rational explanations of phenomena for the world. Socrates is and example or a moral philosopher. He asked questions like “How shall we live?”, “What is good?”, “What is truth?”, “What is just?”; and the answeres to these questions bring happiness in life. He was the first cosmopolitan. Aristotle is said to have created ethics by asking things like “What is existence?” and “What does it mean?”. The cynic, Diogenes said that “all that matters are true vs bad values” whereas skeptics don’t believe in truth. The believed that “persuasion, not truth, is better”. At the time, Athens centre of intellectual world and from this, the ideas of thinking spread to other parts of the world. Academic and philosophical conflict lead to the birth of debate (examples: Heraclitus & Paramenides, Zeno).

Political ethics involve dike/justice which provide a certain climate for citizens to abide by. This formation allowed for the ideals of justice to be put in practice, which in turn layed the groundwork for individualism and democracy. This began the “first among equals” concept. An example of debate regarding this was the war between the Greeks and the Persians (5th cent.). This war was a war of ideas such as freedom vs slavery. These are some ideals that rule our lives today. Going along with this, Salan worked with Athens’ existing laws and created new ones to benefit the people of the society (Reforms).

Overall, it can be said that classic civilizations shaped path for our modern world. However, I have to say that this is truly a personal opinion.

"In a sense, civilization as a way of life is still in the experimental phase. We do not know whether it will be as successful in the long run as the hunting and gathering existence that sustained our ancestors for most of human history." - The Ancient Mediterranean World (Pg 3)

Sources:
- Classic Civilizations notes & resources from class
- Conser, James A. Law Enforcement in the United States. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett, 2005. Print.
- "ethics." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 02 May. 2010 .
- "Ethics in the Workplace Improved During the Recession, National Employee Survey Shows." ERC: Ethics Resource Center. Web. 06 May 2010. .
- Garcia, John D. "CIVILIZATION AND ETHICS." CREATIVE TRANSFORMATION: A Practical Guide for Maximizing Creativity. 1991. Web. 02 May 2010. .
- Gilly, Thomas Albert., Yakov Gilinskiy, and Vladimir Sergevnin. The Ethics of Terrorism: Innovative Approaches from an International Perspective. Springfield, Ill.: Charles C. Thomas, 2009. Print.
Holborn, Hajo. History and the Humanities. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1972. Print.
- Prasad, Rajendra. A Conceptual-analytic Study of Classical Indian Philosophy of Morals. New Delhi: Jointly Published by Centre for Studies in Civilization and Concept Pub. for the Project of History of Indian Science, Philosophy, and Culture, 2008. Print.
- Striker, Gisela. Greek Ethics and Moral Theory: The Tanner Lectures on Human Values. California: Stanford University, 1987. Print.

The Invention of the Arch

The arch is possibly the most significant element of architecture perfected by the Romans. It in itself has led to the inventions of vaulted ceilings, and domes. As these aspects got higher and higher, arches were then created in the form of buttresses to maintain the structural integrity of these edifices while adding to the dazzling set of features on these monolithic works of art. The Beauvais Cathedral in France is a incredible example of the evolution of Roman archwork. As shown in the image, the buttresses rise all the way to the roof using the basic principals of the arch to support the behemoth weight being pressed down and outwards by the force of gravity. The vaulted ceiling itself is an adaptation of the classic arch since in essence it's an extravagant show of arches criss-crossing the ceiling blending aspects of art and basics of structural integrity.
The dome is another extension from the arch. Essentially, if you had two symmetrical arches crossing each other in a perpendicular manner, you'd have four quadrants. Similar to cutting pizza slices, theoretically, you could cut an infinite number of slices. Using this principal, you could fill all the gaps in the four quadrants with and infinite number of arches, thus resulting in the dome. The most famous Roman example of the dome is its Pantheon with its famous oculus. To avoid the possibility of collapsing in on itself (before the invention of the buttress), the unknown architect designed in the inside with a series of ribs creating trapezoid shapes as shown in the image. This saves overall weight and the oculus doubles as a material saver by being the temple's main source of light.
Possibly the largest example of the arch is the Roman aqueducts. These engineering marvels were precisely measured and created to deliver water from large sources to the bathhouses of Rome. To overcome the obstacles of deep valleys and gorges, the Romans made strong use of their arches. Not only do they look gorgeous, but they save immense amounts of material while being structurally sound. All in all, the arch is an extremely important aspect of Roman architecture since it has countless uses that have been shown over the course of history.

Art is circular

I don't want to give away my thesis for my summative on Greek Art, but it is quite apparent. We know more about Greek art from its rebirth in the Renaissance, so I've taken all the significant movements since then and compiled them into the only fitting shape - a circle. There's no timeline because people tend to go back and forth, just like in politics. Perhaps a pendulum would be a more fitting metaphor, but I'm sticking with circle. I apologize for my messy writing.

"Elocutio"

The Etruscans incented the arch and one of the most recognizable thing in western society is the GOLDEN ARCH OF MCDONALDS ; Americas symbol !

Follow the Leader, Caesar

"A ruler should be slow to punish and swift to reward."

~ Ovid

"No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent."

~ Abraham Lincoln

"What you cannot enforce, Do not command."

~ Sophocles


These are all quotes that embody certain traits and behaviours I think a good leader should exhibit. Firstly, Ovid means that a ruler should be tentative with his actions and to not make split decisions on a whim without certain conviction. Caesar does make impulsive decisions and it is debatable whether they are for the better or not. Saying that, of course all things hold positive and negative values but when it comes to his decision on the massacre of the legion at Cenabum, I cannot agree. Although Caesar was generally a leader of integrity, decisions like these make it harder to point out exactly how he always made good decisions for the benefit of people.
Regarding the second quote, obviously a majority of people vote in people of power in today's democratic society but back in ancient civilizations it was obvious that people manipulated and even went as far as "murder" to achieve power. Caesar was however, very good with appealing and persuading the people of the Roman Empire. He could manipulate the Senate and the civilians in order to gain acceptance as a ruler and his dictatorial decisions. In modern times, democracy is certainly something we as people value and this quote directly concerns the voice of the people who choose who they want in power.
Lastly, the last quote deals with the prospect of not taking on more than you can handle. As a leader, the ability to keep control and order over vast masses of people is a valuable skill to have. Having instability and chaos within populations as vast as the Roman Empire (or any of today's controlled regions) would be disastrous. Caesar was able to do this very well in fact. He could control masses of people and control the order and stability of his military advances.

Having these skills and qualities as a ruler certainly is an advantage and looking at Caesar, he was an excellent one, for the most part.

To Lead or to Follow

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Emerson

A leader who follows the crowds, who bows and bends to societal norms, is a leader that does not reside in the history books. A leader who breaks from the shackles of regularity and finds his own way is one that will be remembered. Caesar is one such man. He shirked tradition and focused on what Rome needed, what he needed, and in doing so he became one of the greatest generals in history. When he created the idea, implemented the idea, and aided in the construction of his idea to build a bridge across the Rhine river - no one had succeeded in such a task if they had even tried. Caesar and his men did it in ten days. TEN. Why follow someone else when you know that others should follow you. To follow the path already laid out, are you really leading? Caesar truly led, he made his own path that no one else had travelled. He was a true leader, regardless of some of his faults.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Martin Luther King, Jr

Caesar was an improviser, he used his gut reaction as well as his strategic skills to plan his battle strategies and in doing so he was able to succeed. In 54 BC when his troops were destroyed Caesar was faced with a challenge. The first major defeat that he had suffered – how would he handle it? He hunted the enemy down, he killed them all and he sent their homes and villages up in flames. He regained the support of his men if any was lost by thoroughly avenging the lives of their friends and comrades. He may have been ruthless and perhaps sadistic but he was a brilliant leader who took an empire and made it better, stronger. He faced controversy and challenge, he diverted from the normal path – he broke the mould and showed the world that he was deserving of his place in history

Body without a head, or head without a body?

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. - George Patton

This is another somewhat ambiguous one for Caesar (but still of the three I found most reflective) in regards to his command.
In class we hear about the Caesar's ideology that the Roman army is a large body but it needs one strong leader to play the head role. I'd like to touch upon the fact that, though Caesar is a strong head, none of his movements would have worked if the body of Romans beneath him weren't as tactful themselves as they were. I'd just like to give them as much credit as Caesar himself. Though the body requires the head to figure out the movements, the head requires the body to physically move.

Roman mindset

A general is just as good or just as bad as the troops under his command make him. - General Douglas MacArthur

This could be argued as reflecting Caesar's command, but also against.
I believe it reflects his command because of all his gambles. If the army under him wasn't as revved up as they were, they could have crumbled. Much of this has to do with the Roman mindset of pleasing your general. Caesar inspired them as a whole to force their victory, no matter how unlikely their win would be. If this Roman mindset did not exist, the troops under Caesar would have suffered more losses and his command would not have been so prized.
One could say the Roman mindset actually disproves this quote as a parallel to Caesar's command, for the very reason that, other than a cultural norm, Caesar's gambles would not have succeeded as well, or at all.

Caesar's Role in the Army

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr

Caesar was a gambler on a large scale. Pretty much every move he made was controversial, because the Roman army was outnumbered time after time by his political opponent Pompey's army or from that of other countries. The essay by Adrian Goldsworthy states, "Caesar's operations could have easily ended in disaster." The essay also states that Roman's weren't as brash as one may today be led to believe - the army gambled in a calculated fashion. Though it does seem to me that they gambled no matter what state they were in.
One battle involved a hill, where Caesar was outnumbered by thousands, and yet he fought in such a way that held back portions of the army and intimidated Pompey and his army enough to back off before all of Caesar's army even saw battle. Caesar always stood strong, even when, realistically, he should have regrouped and gotten stronger. His tactic was to forge ahead no matter what, giving off the impression that his army is always ready to fight.

Caesar's Trail

Do not follow where the path may lead.
Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Emerson

Caesar was different than leaders before him in the fact that he strove to prove himself through innovative means. Instead of following the conventional paths of major Roman political figures before him, Caesar undertook tasks that set him apart from his contemporaries and predecessors. He proved his ingenuity through means seldom seen before; his feats of engineering (the bridge he mentions in his writings), his treatment of men who had once fought against him (Brutus, during the Civil War), and his ambitious conquests (Gaul and Britain) distinguished Caesar as a man of insurmountable vision. Caesar was definitely a leader who rejected the path well-worn and instead chose to forge his own destiny.

Biography of Great Men

The history of the world is but the
biography of great men.
Thomas Carlyle

If the history of the world is the biography of great men, then the history of Rome is no exception. Rome's legacy and history was woven by a series of ambitious, prolific, and visionary leaders and commanders, one of the most prominent being Julius Caesar. Politics were an integral part of Roman life, and Caesar dominated the politics of the later years of the Roman Republic. From his role in the First Triumvirate and his conquests of Gaul and Britain to his assumption of governmental control over Pompey and his brutal death in the Senate, Caesar was responsible for leading Rome through different phases of history. Caesar's ambition and military prowess sparked events such as as the Civil War and the ushering in of the Roman Empire. Through his actions, a significant portion of Roman history was shaped.

Leadership and Caesar #2

"A general is just as good or as bad as the troops under his command make him."
-General Douglas MacArthur

This quote is stating that the subordinate troops of a commander are essentially a reflection of the commander. This directly applies to Caesar, especially because he paid great attention to the minute details of instructing his troops. In being very close to the front lines of battle, Caesar held his soldiers accountable, however this fact also made Caesar more accountable for his military decisions, as he is not some faraway dictator, but rather a soldier, entrenched in battle to nearly the same extent as his troops. Through this leadership style, Caesar dictated that his troops would not make him, but that he would make his troops.

Leadership and Caesar

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Emerson

This quote reminded me instantly of the Gallic wars in which Caesar trailblazed his own path through the construction of a bridge across the Rhine River. Caesar wanted to cross the river onto the German side before his enemies could reach him. He uses this preemptive military strategy during several other battles, as detailed in "Caesar: Rome's Most Righteous Warlord" essay. His swiftness of action, fearlessness of critics, and ability to take on the previously thought to be unattainable feats, are reasons why Caesar was a visionary and well-respected leader.

Caesarian Leadership #2

"Go to the people. Learn from them. Live with them. Start with what they know. Build with what they have. The best of leaders when the job is done, when the task is accomplished, the people will say we have done it ourselves." - Lao Tzu

This quote applies to Caesar's life because of the fact that despite all of the victories and all of the great qualities that he displayed, the people did not want him to prosper any longer: "the cause of Caesar's assassination was the preservation of the Roman Republic from Caesar's ambition to be king." Even though the leader was able to guide the people to success, they did not care and turned their back on him, which is exactly what the quote is saying.

Caesarian Leadership #1

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

In the article, "Rome's most righteous warlord", Caesar's battle tactics are described. Obviously, the quote above says that the real leaders are those who prosper during difficult times. Caesar did exactly this. He had a highly "interventionist" style of leadership. He was able to solve problems on the battlefield even when it seemed like his army wouldn't prosper. He was a great "improviser" rather than a great planner. During times of challenge and controversy, instead of backing down, he led his army to victory. The quote "Even though he suffered reverses, they were never permanent; he always recovered and went on to win," shows this.

The Gallic Wars

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote is easily seen in Julius Caesar's conquest of Gaul. It was unknown territory for the Romans, protected by vicious natives, and Caesar forged through, often unprepared, to conquer huge swaths of land. It was a big risk at many points along his way, but Caesar refused to back down, and always pushed through, taking advantage of the element of surprise.

An Unstoppable Force

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. - Martin Luther King, Jr


This quote is reflective in the most literal sense of how Julius Caesar acted in a battle. He would constantly be moving to the weakest, most endangered section of his line of troops. In doing so he bolstered their confidence, both in themselves and in him. He was highly respected for being so brave in battle, fighting alongside his troops as one of the men. He knew that it was his role to support his troops when they were at their weakest as well as when they were at their best.
Caesar's entire outlook on battle was also quite controversial and created many challenges for himself and his troops. He would always retaliate or engage immediately, even when his men were not ready for battle. By doing this,. he gave the impression of being unstoppable, always ready, and braver than any other general.

Fear is infectious.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

~Nelson Mandela

What Makes a Hero?

Suffering breeds heroes,
Their strength is a lesson to all; and,
All benefit from that experience.
A hero learns to empathize and,
Show compassion for others going through difficult times.
Nothing will stand in their way,
They show perseverance in the face of adversity.
A hero achieves the impossible.
Rises up and does what is right in the worst of all their circumstances.
You can trust what you tell them,
It will not go further.
A hero is not boastful,
But is often modest about their accomplishments.
My hero is strong, dependable, humble, and a good listener;
Pointing out the positives, never the negatives
A hero makes me feel like a hero;
A hero will always live within us and others.

Alone

Integrity is shown when no one is looking.

~Unknown

" This way I will cause him greater torment than anything. And you others, go through the town and track down the womanish stranger, who infects our women with his new-fangled disease and pollutes their beds. Once he is caught, bind him and bring him here to face the penalty of being stoned to death, after seeing a painful end to his revelling in Thebes."

(Bacchae, line 350-356)

The reader can see that Pentheus is a man and we can see is human side, including his desires. I will not say that he is attracted to Dionysus but I do feel that he is somewhat connected to him. I feel like he does not want feeling and desire out because that would bring chaos, so he tries no destry it, and because he has feeling toward dionysus he wants to get rid of him too

Teiresias the prophet

" When a clever man has an honest case to make, it is no great task for him to speak well. You possess a fluent tongue, as if you were a man of senses, but your words lack all judgement. The good speaker whose influence rests on self-assurance proves to be a bad citizen; for he lacks intelligence."

(Bacchae, line 267-272)

Teiresias the same prophet that tried to stop Oedipus from finding out his terrible fate, appeares in The Bacchae to do the same for Pentheus. He not only knows that Pentheus is in big trouble with the gods because of the way he talks blasphemy of them, but he also knows that Pentheus although he knows how to talk, all he talks is wrong, so he is trying to make him see that. Teiresias therefore is attaking rhetoric because he basically is saying that because someone speaks well, does not mean he is correct and it does not matter if he is the ruler of Thebes.

Hubris

"If I catch him inside the borders of this land, I'll cut his head off his shoulders and put a stop to his making his thyrsus ring and shaking his locks! This is the man who says that Dionysus is a god, this the man who says he was once sewn into the thigh of Zeus, when in fact he was destroyed by the fiery lightning bolt, he and his mother, because she falsely named Zeus as her lover!"

(Bacchae, line 233-243)

Pentheus shows that he does not believe that Dionysus is a god and he is willing to kill him. This is not only prove that he is disrespecting the gods, he also feels superior to them and therefore shows Hubris behaviour. I think he is so into his perfect controled world that he does not realize that terrible things could happened to him. He is not only disrespecting Dionysus the god but also his mother "he and his mother, because she falsely named Zeus as her lover!" and most important of all, he is insulting Zeus that is not only his father but also the god of the gods, so the reader I thing right away feels that his punishment is going to be very harsh.

Chaos is a blessing?

" This city must learn its lesson, however reluctantly, that it lacks the blessing of my rites."

(Bacchae, line 39-40)

Dionysus is the God of wine, his "power" is make people do what they would not dare to do if they were normal. Alcohol inhibits the senses therefore the way people respond to thing under the influence of alcohol is different. This spell people are in when dealing with alcohol usually cause chaos, that its not usually thought of it as a good thing. In Thebes the feeling of rejection toward chaos is the same.

Dionysus wants to bring Chaos into their lives, but I do not feel like this is a bad thing, is just like he stated "This city must learn its lesson", I feel although control and order is needed, there has to be a balance between order and chaos. I feel as he wants to show the other extreme in order to have a balance between the two.

Conquest

“Heaven cannot brook two suns, nor earth two masters.”

- Alexander the Great

Yet another example of his unwavering drive to rule the world, he believed he could be the supreme ruler of the world. There would be no one else, like there can be only one sun and only one moon - he would be the only one ruler.