9 The Struggle for Greek Democracy

1

Monotheism as religion of empire

• 1) Animism (of Persian nomads)• 2) Anthropomorphic polytheism (of Mesopotamia) • 3) (Animistic) monotheism (of new Persian State)– Ethical religion of moral good versus evil

• Repeats Egyptian pattern of Akhenaton, but more successfully. Why?– Advantages for empire are abstract, in the future,

remote from ordinary life– Disadvantages for local priests and powers are

very evident

2

Advantages of New Religion

• Advantages for Persians– Old animism is place-related– Conquering Persian rulers leave old places– So open to new belief in a God of Light– Preserves animistic (naturalistic) character

• Advantages for Mesopotamians: – Old Mesopotamian gods are arbitrary, oppressive, – not ethical (recall explanation of the Flood)

3

Failure or Victory for Iron Age Mesopotamian Peasants?

• 1) Seek complete freedom on rain-watered lands

• 2) Provoke intensified violence of Assyrians• 3) Final result: moderate rule of Persia• > Great power of Persia dominates vast

territory (135)• 4) Confronts new iron age city-states of

Greece

4

Three states

• Harappa: trade-based civilization• Persia: old style of civilization channels spread

of new iron-age agriculture• Greece: – iron-age agriculture developing independently, – and trading state

5

Outline re Greece• 1) Geographical position and history

– Riddle of the Sphinx = the Riddle of Greece• 2) The implications of the new elements of history for

democracy– Iron – Alphabet– Trade

• 3) The Struggle for Greek democracy: obstacles to freedom– From the outside– From within

• 4) Evolution of Greek Religion: from religion to philosophy

6

1) Greek Peasants Gain Freedom

• Iron plow of free “man”• Position in relation to Persia– Not too far– Not too close

• Protected from Persia by mountains, sea (p. 150)

7

Geographical basis and history

• Inner geography: Plains separated by mountains

• > Independent, divided city states• What does this lead to? – (compare with Mesopotamia)

• When do the Greeks fight each other?– 1) Persian war– 2) Peloponnesian war

8

Early Greek Unity

• Greeks unite against Persian invader• Greeks win Persian War (490-465 BCE)• How? • Clue: Riddle of the Sphinx

9

Riddle of the Sphinx• Sphinx (p. 74) symbol of Egypt, old order• Sphinx guards narrow mountain pass– Dangerous passes to Greece– Persians defeated at Battle of Thermopylae (narrow

coastal pass) (480) by Spartan “300” led by Leonidas• Poses riddle: solve it or die• Oedipus solves riddle• “Man” is the higher principle of Greece (Hegel)—

the free (male) human being

10

“Man” as Solution of the Riddle• Hunter-gatherers – dependent on nature– Nature religion (animism)

• Early state civilizations – ruled by outside powers, gods/God– Arbitrary tyranny of gods– But trend of ethical monotheism (Akhenaton, Zoroaster,

Hebrew Bible)• Greek discovery: the human being as an independent

power– “Man is the measure of all things.” – Protagoras (481-420

BCE)

11

Greek civilization breaks with nature

• Many things cause terror and wonder, yet nothing • is more terrifying and wonderful than man. • This thing goes across the gray • sea on the blasts of winter • storms, passing beneath • waters towering 'round him. The Earth, • eldest of the gods, • unwithering and untiring, this thing wears down • as his plows go back and forth year after year• furrowing her with the issue of horses. (Antigone, 332-41)

12

2) New Elements in History (repeat)

• 1) From bronze age to iron age: – New material technology

• 2) Growing trade between societies– New social elements: merchants

• 3) From hieroglyphics to the alphabet: – New mental technology

13

Sources of democracy

• Iron technology– Bronze: aristocratic– Iron: democratic

• Alphabet– Hieroglyphic writing: aristocratic– Phonetic alphabet as democratic mental

technology

14

Promise of the new technology

• Iron as a democratic metal v bronze• Greater productivity of labor, surpluses• More leisure time for arts, science, philosophy• > A state (government?) of free people ruling

themselves• But in Mesopotamia, the old Bronze Age state

channels the new forces within the old framework

15

Rational Philosophy and Trade

• Relation between Corn and Wine?– Qualitative differences in appearance

• Trade: X Corn = Y Wine ?? – What makes two different things equal?

• X Corn = $20• Y Wine = $20• Quantitative calculations of reason replaces

qualitative experiences • =>Reason seeks truth under appearances

16

How democratic was it?

• 1) Early non-state societies• 2) Hierarchical state, monarchy• 3) Greek “democratic” state– State or government? – Free men: 1/6 of population of Athens– = a minority rules over a majority

• Hegel on movement of history:– One is free > Some are free > All are free

17

3) Two obstacles to freedom

• External: the old bronze-age state– “Dynamism” of Mesopotamia– > Moderate, but powerful state of Persia– But Greece defeats the old state;– has opportunity to develop the full potentialities

of iron age agriculture

• Internal– Growth of inequality from within

18

Rise of Inequality from Within

• Natural development of unequal wealth– Population growth– From rich to poor lands – > Impoverishment and enslavement– Debt servitude

19

Two solutions: Flight and Fight

• Importance of emigration in early Greek history– Sea travel improves, opens up new paths to

freedom– Colonies grow up on coast of Asia Minor (p. 150)• Cause of Persian War

• Threat of internal war between classes– Wars between rich and poor

20

Military advantages of the poor

• No powerful state (yet)• Cheap iron weapons• > Hoplite (phalanx) formation (119)– Versus aristocratic chariot, unfree infantry– Requires discipline, leisure > wealth– Egalitarian military formation

• > Freedom of citizens is essential to military strength of polis

21

4) “Religion” of the free, beautiful man

• See statue of dying Gaul http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dying_Gaul

• Compare Darius (138)• Hegel: free, beautiful man (male) as central

“religion” for Greeks

22

Blocked Evolution of Greek Religion

• Homeric religion: see Hektor’s prayer, 142– Reflects bronze-age warrior aristocracy– Powerful, arbitrary gods rule over humans?

• Contradicts ideas of – “free beautiful individuality” and “man” as center

(answer to Riddle of Sphinx) – reason seeking truth behind appearances

• Further evolution -- to monotheism? • But the beautiful Homeric poetry blocks

further development re gods, divine

23

No Religion of Empire

• (Animistic) monotheism of Akhenaton, Zoroaster– Unites people of radically different religions– Difficulties of Pantheon method of unification of

religions

• But Greek city states do not unite– Homer’s Pantheon of gods remains in place

• -> Failure of Alexander’s Empire– No unifying new belief system to unite Greece, Persia,

Egypt, India …

24

Transformation of Greek Religion

• See Athena (149) – = symbol of Athens, the city-state—the polis

• New function of religion: Focus on the (free) city-state

• => Worship ourselves!• Oracle at Delphi: Know Yourself• Philosophy: Think for yourself!

25

History of Greek Thought

• 1) Animism (religion of mother Earth)– Trampled on by Man, with iron plow

• 2) Anthropomorphic polytheism of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey – Beauty of expression, psychological accuracy of the

anthropomorphic qualities of the gods– Blocks further evolution of religious thought– > Failure of Greek empire of Alexander

• 3) Philosophy: Know yourself! Think for yourself

26

From Religion to Philosophy

• Socrates: Is something good because the gods command it, or do the gods command it because it is good? (Plato’s Euthyphro)– It is good (only) because the Gods say so– The gods say so because it is good (independent

of what the gods or anyone might think)

27

Socrates’ “crime”

• Socrates/Plato replace focus on religious authority with philosophy: people can think for themselves about what is good.

• Is this “impiety” to the gods? Atheism? • Alleged crimes of Socrates: “he denies the

gods and corrupts the youth”

28