Greek Thinking During Homer

Greek thinking during Homer:

-Origin of Western Tradition.

-Structure of Society… Small tribal groups, oral laws for customs and traditions, role in society was fixed.

-Hospitality – you cannot harm a guest, even if its your mortal enemy.

-Vows of Friendship always honored – A sacred obligation to defend.

- Reading omens – before going into battle, want to make sure god is on your side

-Society was extremely conservative.

-Homer was writing from a historical perspective.

-There was a cosmic order that justified everyone’s fixed role in society.

-Virtues were vital, fulfilling their role in society excellently. Reason is to remind oneself how to achieve virtue.

-Vices an extremely undesireable trait.

-Justice-A very special virtue, the single fundamental order between nature and society.

Greek thinking during Pericles:

-The political organization was the city, not tribes

-Different cities adopted different legal codes.

-Greeks are in contact with different peoples through trade.

-New economic opportunities meant you did not have to do what your family did.

-Growth of middle class led to a hunger for more political power, meant democracy was possible.

-Oral Tradition and customs were impractical. Needed infrastructure, city planning, etc.

-New arts such as sculpture, architecture, theatre emerged, which provided an opportunity to critique the social order.

-Middle class did not seem to have as strict place in the cosmic order.

-It not longer seems clear to entirely follow the virtues of the Homeric age.

-Pericles was a populist who reinterpreted Homeric morality.

-Merchants can be like Achilles by joining the city state and democracy.

-Pericles supported the notion that justice is whatever the man in power says it is. (Melian Dialogue)

-Sophists support this notion.

-The arts reflect this change in the simplicity of Virtue: “Philocetes” Neopolemus must decide to honor his code to Odyseus or betray Philocetes.

Aristotle