Greek History Community

Favorite Philosopher from Ancient Greece

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redsoxdw_

redsoxdw_

Active member
I love studying philosophy - I have some favorites - do you have yours? Here is a short list:

I like each of them for different reasons...
  • Plato
  • Socrates
  • Epicurus
  • Zeno of Citium
  • Aristotle
 
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Reactions: k_tsoukalas and amygdalE
redsoxdw_ said:
I love studying philosophy - I have some favorites - do you have yours? Here is a short list:

I like each of them for different reasons...
  • Plato
  • Socrates
  • Epicurus
  • Zeno of Citium
  • Aristotle
Click to expand...
... and, for different reasons, Anaximander, Pythagoras, ... all of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: k_tsoukalas
amygdalE said:
... and, for different reasons, Anaximander, Pythagoras, ... all of them.
Click to expand...
Yes to all of these... I like to study Epicurus too...
 
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How Democratic Was Athenian Democracy?

I’ve been studying the democracy of Athens lately, and I find it fascinating that such an influential system didn’t actually last very long in its original form. It’s often described as the birthplace of democracy, and yet when you look closely, it seems both groundbreaking and limited at the same time.

On the one hand, the idea of citizens participating directly in decision-making was radical. On the other hand, citizenship excluded women, enslaved people, and foreigners, which dramatically narrowed who had a voice. It makes me wonder how “democratic” it really was by its own standards, let alone ours.

I’m also curious how stable it truly felt at the time, given the political upheavals and eventual decline.

For those who’ve studied this period more deeply, how do you interpret Athenian democracy? Do you see it as a bold experiment that laid the groundwork for modern systems, or as something far more fragile and constrained?

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Ancient Greece usually gets the most attention, especially Classical Athens, Sparta, the Persian Wars, and Alexander the Great. But I also find the Byzantine period fascinating because of its enormous influence on Greek religion, culture, art, and identity. Then there are the centuries of Ottoman rule, the Greek War of Independence, the Asia Minor Catastrophe, and Greece’s experiences during the World Wars and Civil War.

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