Classical Greece, the Seed of Modern Western Thought
Modern Western though has been shaped by emphasis on scientific thinking and reasoning from the time of Copernicus, Galileo and Newton. The scientific revolution gave birth to a new era of thought, in which observations were made to support an idea. This involved what man could prove through sense, not religion or superstition. Notable ancient Greek historians, philosophers and scientists, such as Thucydides, Socrates, Aristotle, and Hippocrates, laid down the seeds of modern Western thought. An ancient Greek writer who demonstrated modern scientific objectivity was Thucydides. Over time, this type of scientific objectivity has become a valuable tool of modern Western thought. The vividness and detail of Thucydides' description of the effects of the plague is striking. A doctor today would be very impressed by the accuracy and detailed description of the plague: "Externally the body was not very hot to the touch, nor was there any pallor: the skin was rather reddish and livid, breaking out into small pustules and ulcers." This precise description
Aristotle, one of the very first scientists, used evidence to support his claims. Today, any argument made must be supported by evidence. Any argument not supported by evidence is not accepted as fact. Aristotle's use of evidence made his arguments strong and convincing, even if he was quite wrong. When Aristotle writes "Again, if the earth as a whole is capable of floating upon water, that must obviously be the case with any part of it. But observation shows that this is not the case. Any piece of earth goes to the bottom, the quicker the larger it is" he is able to prove his point by the use of evidence. The method in which Aristotle supported his arguments is constantly used today as it shows that the point one is arguing is true. Modern Western thought, the use of observations, critical thinking, logical thinking, and evidence to prove an argument or to demonstrate an idea, was influenced directly by the works of many notable ancient Greeks. Their contributions to the fields of medicine, science, history and philosophy are still valued today
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Approximate Word count = 710
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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