THE RISE OF HUMANISM

"Man is the measure of all things" - Protagoras 

Humanism: in this period, "humanism" means an attention to human things instead of the things of the gods. This took several forms: poetry, which celebrated events in human life; sculpture, which celebrated the human form; history, which told the story of human actions.

Philosophy: Both rational and mythopoeic forms of thought are found in all cultures. Reason and rational thought was clearly part of the process of erecting buildings or developing irrigation. But some Greeks came to believe that rational thought could substitute for mythopoeic thought. These people were called, originally, "sophists"--"the wise ones," but after Socrates they came to be known as "philosophers"--"lovers of wisdom."

Philosophy clearly evolved from a mythopoeic understanding of the world.

a. On the one hand, natural philosophy developed from the regularity of the actions of the gods. If the god of smoke always appeared with the god of fire, one could explain this mythopoeically on the basis of the great friendship between smoke and fire. But if this always happens, one does not need the notion of a conscious, purposeful god to explain the connection, one could be content with simply describing the relation between smoke and fire as law.

b. On the other hand, ethical philosophy developed from doubts raised by such philosophers as Xenophanes about the nature of the gods. If the gods were evil, as so many of the Greek gods appear to be, than how can they act as moral standard? Some other basis for morality must be found.

C. Democracy: even though democracy did develop in this period, this form of government had very little influence on subsequent history. The Peloponnesian War had proven democracy a failure and, moreover, the dominant political form was the empire for which democracy was entirely unsuited.

NOTES ON GREEK HUMANISM 1

NOTES ON GREEK HUMANISM 2

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