Chapters 2-4 What I Want to Know More About

Chapters 2-4 “What I want to know more about”

Afshan Rajkotwala:

As these theorists made their ideas available to the public, how did the public react?

In many cases, the theorists’ ideas were not welcome. Socrates was actually accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and sentenced to death. He was given the option of jumping off a cliff or drinking poisonous hemlock, which he did. As with the others, some accepted their ideas, others did not. Hindsight is 20/20, so what seems great now, wasn’t always the case then.

Shannon Burnett:

No questions. It is absolutely amazing to me to evaluate the educational system (its history and the roots for current pedagogy), through these civilizations.

Kayla Braziel:

I am unclear on the relationship between the Romans and Greek people. I understand that the Romans modeled much of their education after the Greeks but how was the relationship between the Romans and Greeks? How did they think of one another?

The height of Greek civilization occurred before the Romans. By the time Rome was founded in 756 BC, the Iliad was already about 250 years old. Since the two countries are across the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas from each other, they came in contact through sea trade. Eventually, Roman civilization became stronger. The Romans made fun of Greek engineering, speech, and appearance (Greek men often had beards, and uncommon feature for Roman men until later in the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D.). They did, however, respect Greek education, and Greek was taught to boys receiving formal educations. A common misconception is that Romans stole Greek mythology, since so many of the gods/goddesses are similar. In actuality, most polytheistic cultures have gods that perform the same function. For example, they all have a god of the sky, goddess of the home, love, etc… That is not stolen, just natural. The Romans did, however, “borrow” some Greek gods, like Apollo and Hercules (Heracles in Greek), but they recognized these as Greek and invited them to be part of the Roman culture.

Yi-Chun Liu:

I would like to know what the professors’ perspectives regarding three significant sophists in Greece since there are pieces of information and are not quite integrated in the book. Therefore, I am able to know their comparisons with respect to their educational philosophies. Also, I am not sure during Greek and Roman cultures, what some significant events took place in Chinese culture.

The following website gives a great look at simultaneous events in world history:

Ayana Allen:

I would like to know more about female contributions in Greek and Roman society. In Chapter 3 all of the important thinkers were male. Is there any info on the female intellectual and philosophical thought?

Unfortunately, there are not many public female contributions during this time. Remember, though, the context. Women did not have a place outside the home 2-3 thousand years ago, and that was a commonly accepted notion. We will, however, be learning about Sappho, a Greek poetess.

Susan Jennings:

These chapters were great!! I am really enjoying this. I really don't have any questions at this time. Everything was explained in the chapters.

James Watkins:

What similarities and differences are there between Greek and Roman society and the cultures of countries around the world? Are high school students taught Greek and Roman history? What can we learn about ourselves as we study historical figures, like Socrates, Plato, and Homer?

It is hard to say what the differences between Greco-Roman society and other societies are. Do you mean at the same time in history? If so, many societies incorporated Greek (Hellenistic) and Roman cultures, primarily due to the expansion the Greek empire, and later, the larger Roman Empire. The Roman Empire expanded all the way up into northern Europe and England, as well as into the Middle East, northern Africa, and partially towards southwest Asia. Many other cultures not influenced by the Greeks and Romans shared similarities, like polytheism and similar social systems, but ancient societies in isolation developed their own customs (like Asian societies, for example). Texas high-school students today are required to take World History. As I recall from being a World History teacher, we spent about one chapter (about a week) on Greece, and one on Rome. I’m not really sure you can learn about yourself when studying certain historic figures because it all depends on what you view and value. I personally don’t side with Plato, but rather with Aristotle, therefore learning about Plato just helps me to vocalize what I don’t believe. It is however to study historic concepts, like Greek democratic government, since these concepts affect our current society.

Jee-young Shin:

More learning about mentorship: Socrates was the teacher of Plato and Aristotle studied with Plato. The dialogues, knowledge and inquiry of Socrates enhanced intellectual, professional, and personal development of Plato. And so did Plato (to Aristotle). As we know their influences were so powerful beyond their times. I’d like to know more about the study in mentorship to develop my current mentor-mentee relationship to experience more powerful and passionate interactions for true results.

Yes, while Socrates was Plato’s teacher, and Plato was Aristotle’s teacher, they weren’t necessarily all mentors to each other. Plato leaned on Socrates but then formed his own ideas, and Aristotle’s ideas were, in some ways, drastically different from Plato. As far and a good mentor-mentee relationship goes, that depends on you and your mentor/advisor. A good mentor is usually someone you can model and learn from, but also someone who is going to steer you in the right direction. You may have a great relationship with your mentor, but he or she might not be helping you academically, and likewise, you may not get along personally with your mentor, but that person might have your best academic interest at heart. Bottom line, a person that you can socialize with is a mentor, but the person who is going to help you be successful and do the right thing is a mentor.

Brandon Core:

My question may be one whose answer is common to many, but . . . Having not read these pieces (or having done so too long ago to remember), what is the significance of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey that makes these literary works a common part of our American curriculum today?

The Iliad and Odyssey give us great insight into the values and beliefs of ancient Greeks. As the book said, they show how the Greeks viewed the relationships between man and man, man and god, and god and god. Unfortunately, they are disappearing from many American schools, but they are still included as a means of incorporating the “classics”. I believe Beowulf is considered the first written epic poem, but other than that, you have the Iliad, which Homer composed around 1000 BCE but was then recorded in written format around 8th Century BCE, meaning its effect has been lasting.

Ebrar Yetkiner:

In literature Socrates is sometimes referred to as being the founder of critical inquiry. However, another view about this is that Socrates’ way of questioning was not a critical inquiry because he was directing the learners to discover the outcome he wanted, the truth he thought was the universal truth. I’d appreciate your ideas about this issue. I also wonder why Aristotle needed to be introduced to Western intellectuals by Arab philosophers. Why wasn’t he accepted by Western intellectuals during his life time?

Dr. Burlbaw will explain the first part of this question in class. As for Aristotle, I believe the “Western intellectuals” refers to the time after the Fall of the Roman Empire. The Fall of Rome occurred for a variety of reasons, not the least of which was invasion by northern gothic tribes. As a consequence, much of Greek and Roman literature and education was lost for a time. Latin and Greek were not spoken though out the former empire, so the works of Aristotle and others were not taught. This is known as the Middle Ages, or Dark Ages. This is also the time when the Arab countries gained in influence and knowledge, and were able to preserve classical works. Thus, they helped to reintroduce Aristotle and others to the West.

Shufen Huang:

Quintilian recommended that learning be appropriate to the learners’ ability and readiness. He also contended that the good teacher motivate students by making learning interesting and attractive rather than by resorting to corporal punishment. Personally, I am not agreeing with using corporal punishment. In Taiwan, corporal punishment was a common way to motivate students to study. I wonder if it is legal for teachers to use corporal punishment in the U.S.A.

It is not too common today, but some school districts in the U.S. still allow corporal punishment, some around here in Texas. The guardian of each child has to fill out a form saying that the teacher may or may not punish the child corporally. If the parent says no, the district can’t give corporal punishment. Even if the parent says yes, the punishment certainly isn’t like taking a ruler to someone’s backside. Most school districts have done away with corporal punishment however, and there are serious consequences for a teacher who hits a student (although the students are often deserving at times :-)).

Jane Metty:

I am learning so much! I just want to continue to see the continuity and flow of these historical events. So Yes, there is a new thirst to know, but no, I have no specific questions at this time.

Tom Davis:

By moving from the oral tradition of a pre-literate culture to the literary tradition of a literate culture, did this not make education elitist from its beginnings? Literacy was not universal hence the population was severed into two groups, the literate and the illiterate, one empowered, one not. Did the ancients accept this as a natural order? Is the idea of universal education of recent origin?

Yes, in literate societies like ancient Greece and Rome, schooling was not a universal truth. The idea of two groups, however, is too general. While the boys of wealthy families were the ones who primarily received a formal education (remember schooling vs. education), those who did not receive formal educations were not necessarily illiterate. They may not have been composing great works of art, but they knew enough to get by (reading and writing important details of daily life and business). Having an education is not what empowered the wealthy class—it was just a side effect of money. Money and social status, based on heredity, is what determined power. It wasn’t until later in the Roman republic (1st century BCE) that Romans who were not of prominent families gained favor in Rome, especially the Senate. Cicero was one of those men. Ancient societies accepted this as natural, and yes, the concept of universal education is a fairly recent idea.

I-Chun Kuo:

I thought they are very good for me to understand Greek and Roman Education.

Dixie Kelly:

I have no questions as things are beginning to make some sense.