FashionJunkie
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I respect your ability to back up your arguement with sources, but you've already diverted from your original assertations!
What are you saying doesn't make any sense. What i said in my first post i explained in the second.
If you had said that they developed ideas from previous civilizations as opposed to INVENTING all of these things, your arguement would've made sense. We said that they didn't invent medicine and all of medicine isn't Greek, yet you supplied us with links that just reminded us, once more, about the GREEK aspects of medicine. You provided no rebuttal to what we said. Egyptians used papyri to classify diseases according to syptoms. Indians understood the spinal cord's significance, and used surgical procedures similar to bone setting and plastic surgery. They also developed incoluation, which served as a smallpox vaccine. Westerners didn't know of a smallpox vaccine until the end of the 1700s. Also, Indians used cleanliness and disinfection before operating.
I never said all of medicine is Greek, i said that the terms, words are in greek (prognosis, diagnosis, stenosis, skoliosis, pneumonia, poliomuelitis, orthopedic, pathology, hydropneumothorax, tachycardia etc). That doesn't mean that all medicine is Greek. That's your assumption. But doesn't mean anything to you that even though only in greece they speak greek they use these terms all over the world?
You originally said that they were "writing philosophy", yet we both said that others wrote philosophy before the Greeks. I never challenged that Greek philosophy was the most respected, however, yet you provided links that justify that--why? Whatever happened to backing up your original ascertation that Greeks wrote philosophy before others?
About philosophy read my post again. Greek philosophy stands out because Greeks were the first who went past the "how the world is created" and dedicated their lifes in how to look at life in a bigger sense. That's what philosophy is. The way of thinking, the values of life, the morals. The philosophy others wrote was what the world is. Which is not philosophy. Can't you see the difference?
Science-wise, the Chinese were the first to determine that a year was exactly 365 1/4 days. They also were the first to observe sunspots--something that the Europeans didn't do until the 1600s CE. The Egyptians invented a lunar calendar. Indian astronomers identified the seven planets that can be seen without the aid of a telescope. They also accurately predicted eclipses of the Sun and Moon, as well as understanding of the Earth's daily rotation. Also, it's not as if Greece invented all of math, as you said! They developed many important and significant parts of geometry and other things, yet they didn't develop ALL of it, as you originally said! I hope you've heard of Aryabhata--he was one of the first people known to have used algebra and solve quadratic equations. Indians knew about abstract and negative numbers. They also invented ARABIC numerals, which is obviously used extensively. Also, Egyptians invented a number system based on 10 (similar to decimals today), and they also used fractions and whole numbers. Sumerians divided a circle into 360 degrees, as well as proposing a number system based on 60. That's what we use today in watches and compasses.
Still read my post CAREFULLY.
The rise of modern science in Europe, from the ancient Greeks to Isaac Newton. Other cultures were also quite interested and skilled in astronomy (the Mayans, Egyptians, peoples of India and China come immediately to mind), but the Greeks were the first ones to try to explain how the universe worked in a logical, systematic manner using models and observations. Modern astronomy (and all of science) has its roots in the Greek tradition."
And i said STARTED, i never said all math are greek or all astronomy. Or that they invented EVERYTHING. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD READ MY POST CAREFULLY.
I only used the word invented when i was talking about democracy. ANCIENT GREEKS CREATED/INVENTED/USED democracy. Period.
Global union, huh? That's why only Ancient Greeks allowed Greeks to attend.
Please i didn't post the links just for the sake of it. You should read them.
Truce (in Greek, ekecheiria, which literally means "holding of hands") was announced before and during each of the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to Olympia. An inscription describing the truce was written on a bronze discus which was displayed at Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering Elis or threatening the Games, and legal disputes and the carrying out of death penalties were forbidden.
I'm not trying to demean Greece. We owe so much to each and every one of these civilizations, so saying that one was more important than the other is essentially pointless. There are a lot of great things about these civilizations that make them equally important. India and Mesopotamia's religions still exist today (Hinduism/Buddhism and Judaism, respectively), even if those of Greece and Egypt don't. However, Greece and Egypt were incredibly important in SO many other aspects. No civilization is better than the other--that's where you went wrong!
Ancient Greece was extremely powerful, they did amazing things and the fact that i hear greek words everywhere, even though ONLY in Greece they speak Greek, means a lot. The fact that one civilisation offered a lot doesn't mean that others civilisations don't exist. And we are not debating about who is the best, we were talking about some facts. It's my opinion that Ancient Greece was the best civilisation. You have your opinion about the Greeks, i have mine. After all we have democracy (thanks to the Greeks)...
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