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- Though these prominent Greeks lived centuries before us, they have left a brilliant legacy. By building on their hard work and great ideas, we’ve been able to establish the thriving world we live in today.
education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/lasting-legacy-ancient-greek-leaders-and-philosophers/The Lasting Legacy of Ancient Greek Leaders and Philosophers
Oct 19, 2023 · These philosophers and the Greek military and political leaders left their mark on both ancient Greece and the present-day Western world, but there were also famous mathematicians and scientists whose work and ideas are still popular today.
- Twenty four hundred years ago Plato taught that every human soul has the desire to reach for a higher, purer, and more spiritual truth that will illuminate our lives and transform our world.
- Aristotle, on the other hand, said the light of truth is found here in the material world, and our job is to understand and find our place in it. That made him the father of Western science (he wrote the first books on every field from biology and physics to astronomy and psychology) as well as technology, and the paragon of logical linear thinking, as opposed to Plato’s belief in the value of intuitive leaps of imagination.
- The entire history of Western civilization has been the great struggle between these two ways of seeing the world, and that includes not just in every society but within ourselves: the constant tension between our inner Plato and inner Aristotle, our material and logical versus our spiritual and creative halves; that’s gets played out every day, in every way, in everything we do.
- Today, Aristotle is the godfather of the Internet, entrepreneurial start-ups, and e-commerce: as he wrote in his Politics, the entire purpose of society is to enable each person “to attain a higher and better life by the mutual exchange of their different services.”
- Socrates (c. 469-399 BC) – Father of Western Philosophy. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” When it comes to Western philosophy, many point to Socrates as its founder.
- Plato (c. 428-348 BC) – Father of Idealism. “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
- Aristotle (384-322 BC) – The Versatile Polymath. “Is happiness to be acquired by learning, by habit, or some other form of training? It seems to come as a result of virtue and some process of learning and to be among the godlike things since its end is godlike and blessed.”
- Sophocles (c. 496-406 BC) – Master of the Stage. “All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil.
- Alexander The Great
- Pericles
- Leonidas, King of Sparta
- Solon
- Cleisthenes
- Demosthenes
- Draco
- Pisistratus
- Cimon
- Cassander
Alexander the Great is famous for being one of the greatest military generals the world has ever seen. He was the son of Philip II, the king of Macedonia. He grew up observing his father’s rule and saw Philip develop Macedonia into a great military power. It was said that he was extremely courageous from a very young age; brave enough to tame a wil...
Pericles was a renowned Greek statesman. He was born in Athens and lived from 495 to 429 BC. He was also an orator, politician, patron of the arts, and a renowned Athenian general. According to historians, the time of Pericles is referred to as the Golden Age of Athens or the era of Pericles. During Pericles’ rule, he encouraged the arts, philosoph...
Historians do not have a lot of information about this courageous king of Sparta, but during the war between Sparta and the Persians, he was no doubt the most courageous king Greece has ever seen. Leonidas was said to have been born in 540 BC and died in 480 BC. The courage that Leonidas showed during the Battle of Thermophile against the Persian k...
Solon was a poet, politician, and the founder of democratic government in Greece. He was born in 638 BC and died in 558 BC. Solon was a lawmaker who was the first to grant democratic rights to the common citizens of Athens. His Athenian policies brought an end to bonded slavery and the mistreatment of the common people. During his time, not only no...
Cleisthenes was the true father of Athenian democracy. He was an ancient Greek lawmaker, credited to have redeveloped the constitution of ancient Athens to establish a democratic government in 508 BC. He was also renowned for his achievements in increasing the political power of Athenian citizens while reducing the power of the noblemen. Being a me...
Demosthenes was a statesman, orator, and a significant political personality in ancient Greece. He was a celebrated orator, and during his life, he influenced a lot of people in order to oppose and overthrow the Macedonian rulers. He was orphaned at a very young age and had to fight for his inheritance which was forcibly taken by his guardians. As ...
Draco was an extremely influential figure in late ancient Greece. He is still renowned all over the world for his legal codes and the harsh laws he established. Although historians do not have much information about his early life, written texts about his laws still survive. Draco’s laws were corrupt and favored leniency towards the upper classes. ...
Pisistratus is known as the most lenient ruler of ancient Greece. He was the son of Hippocratesand ruled Athens from approximately 561 BC to 527 BC. Pisistratus is still known as the ruler who favored the Athenian lower classes and was exceptionally considerate towards them. During his reign, the upper-class aristocrats and noblemen also had to ans...
Cimon was an Athenian general and statement born in 449 BC. He was the son of Miltiades. He fought alongside Aristides and sent his fleet to rescue the Asian Greek cities from Persian invaders. During his reign, he conquered Asia Minor and won against Persian sea and land forces in 486 BC. After the death of Aristide, he became the chief statesman ...
The history of Cassander’s rule is probably one of the bloodiest in ancient Greek history. He was an important protagonist during the Wars of the Diadochi and waged bloody war against the Macedonian general, Polyperchon. After winning the war, he took supreme power over Greece and Macedonia. Cassander was involved in other blood feuds such as the o...
Oct 16, 2017 · It is one of the two earliest surviving texts of Western civilization and identifies two crucial elements of good leadership: respect and reciprocity. The “Odyssey” starts by emphasizing...
- Emily Anhalt
Oct 19, 2023 · Greek leaders and thinkers were influential in their own time, but some of their ideas and work stand the test of time and still have an impact on modern life.
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Oct 19, 2023 · Many ideas and ways of life that came from ancient Greece a few thousand years ago are still used today. It was the ancient Greeks who gave us libraries, democracy, and even the modern alphabet. The Greeks helped to shape the world in which we live. Here are some of their most famous people. Socrates Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher.
