Essay About Growth Of Middle Class And New Economic Opportunities

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