What have the Greeks done these past 2,000 years?

they spent old money savings and much more of that!

They kept ancient Rome alive as the Byzantine Empire

when empires fall, they fall for good, what have the romans done? what have the egyptians done? what have the arabs/muslim done? after they fell

Originally posted by Nick1986 They kept ancient Rome alive as the Byzantine Empire

Those were morphing  changes  of same idea .Persia=Greece=Rome=Byzantine

"Will continue" in your description you have missed only!Agree with the rest!"Uber" human idea has ruled
and would be as it looks!?!Depends of Earth resources and cosmic casino's results!

From what I remember Greek debt (total:includes public, household & corporate) amounts to roughly 200% of GDP. By contrast Irish is of the order of 1,000%. But the problem is that what taxpayers have to pay is the public one where Greece is very high. Nonetheless I shall stop the debt talk here as I don't want to derail the thread.

Could it be that when religion consumed everyone, it put an end to the intellectual gains of ancient Athens?   Like we can not pick up from they left off, neither can we pick up from where the ancient Aztecs left off.  We advanced the sciences, but the loss of the ability to think in terms is animism hampers us. 

Our language is very materialistic, and prevents us from having animismistic discussions.   I suspect to a degree, Rome killed the necessary spark of genius with its materialism.   The religion that came out of Rome has struggled with this separation of spirit and material reality.  The trinity of Egyptian theology, a part of the soul that dies with the body, a part of the soul is judged, and either enters the good life after death or not, and a part the soul that returns to the source, was externalized as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.   When the spirit is internalized authority is within.  When the spirit is externalize, authority is externalized.  

I am reading a book that suggest another part of the problem is the written word.   When the written word is the voice of authority, it can kill the living word.   Who had the money for written documents and how were they used to educate the people?  If someone is not technologically correct, or politically correct, or does not meet the standards of which CV writes, than this person has no credibility, and this so restricts the pool of intelligence, we could say it is deadly thought. 




Edited by Athena - 18-Apr-2011 at 19:30

As to the original topic and context...there were numerous things , as noted above, the Greeks continued to contribute to society as a whole...And another is the introduction of Greek and Roman words still in use in medicine and law today.

Originally posted by Centrix Vigilis If someone is not technologically correct, or politically correct, or does not meet the standards of which CV writes, than this person has no credibility, and this so restricts the pool of intelligence, we could say it is deadly thought.    Another totally incorrect interpretation and biased misrepresentation, and without context, of anything I have ever written....typical Athena.    Religion for example has not ''consumed everyone'' even tho the religion haters would promote it....they themselves are examples....unless of course  in their obsession in and of itself it then consumes them.   My numerous aethists and agnostic friends would reject this line of thought utterly as inconclusive..without merit and typically only of an individual that hasn't got something better to do.   When for example, I speak of the method.... It's fairly obvious the value of why it increases ones apptitude for the research and study of history..   why?... because it promotes objectivity no matter the educational and experience background..tis why it's taught to layman thinkers in the first place....   but that unfortunately is not always obvious for some. Or is rejected by them in attempt to promote their own salving of inadequancies that only they are seeing and feeling. Tis sort of a self crucification or flagellation they feel necessary...when in truth the majority of those around them could give a damn less about it.   And as such the method doesn't promote wild speculation and dis-jointed, incoherent, subjective evaluation of a minium of fact or distortions and or revisions of fact.   But I like it when Athena trys to slamm me...she fails miserably.... but it's amusing ntl.

We really do not like each other do we? 


The distinct difference between what the Greeks started and what religion did, is the Greeks began the effort of explaining the cause and effect of things scientifically, as opposed to explaining what happens as the work of God, Satan and demons.   Athens was the mother of western civilization, father of our sciences and parents of democracy.   While the bible relies on superstition and is a book of kings and slaves.  It most certainly did consume human consciousness, making the reawakening of science and democracy very difficult, rejecting the medicine developed by Arabs as the Black arts, burning people as witches, preventing men like Galileo from speaking and advancing the sciences.   Thanks to the ancient Greek and Roman documents, and the develops continued by Arabs, we have dug our way out of a not so pleasant past full of wasted years and wasted lives, because of superstitious notions.     

PS, I don't have great expectations of the people of the US will achieve from this point in their history.  It seems civilizations are born and die, just like other life forms.   However, they leave us a legacy from which we can benefit. 


Edited by Athena - 20-Apr-2011 at 10:01

Do not allow Greeks,to push you in conflict with comprehensive dimensions,CV and Athena!?!Let us talk about Greeks and all that they have stolen from other nations history or have contributed themselves for history.
Byzantine Empire had many phases different one from other!Yes, people of masters call themselves Romei.(y)This structure was heterogeneous with lot of ethnic groups.Masters were  5% of Empire and
the rest were Vulgaris.V=Beta letter from Greek language.Documents we have about it are talking about
masters and very little about ordinary people.