Western Civilization: Were Greek Gods a Good Idea?

     Greek religion and philosophy affected everyday life in Greece’s economy, science and medicine. The Greeks were the first free-thinkers and helped to enlighten and educate the populace. I believe that the country benefitted from the philosophical aspect, but was held back by the religious views.

     As far as the economy, Ancient Greece was in much better shape than it currently is today. The ideas of Greek Enlightenment helped to educate citizens so that they could go on to perform more important, complicated jobs rather than general labor. Philosophy helped Greece’s economy prosper.

     As far as science, I think that their ideas of philosophy were beneficial while their religious principles didn’t help. The Greeks believed in many gods and in the fact that those gods had complete control over their lives. This is detrimental to the advance of science because it lends to the common argument of “god(s) did it.” Science requires critical thinking and Greek religious principles hindered that.

     As far as medicine, I can see the benefits as well as the detriments caused by philosophy and religion. In a philosophical context, critical thinking helped spur the growth of Greek medicine. On the other hand, past religious beliefs were often rooted in medicine. Greek religion resulted in ancient medicinal practices that were passed down through history.

     Overall, Greek philosophy and religion had both positive and negative effects on their civilization and culture. I do believe that the Greeks would have advanced even more if they had focused solely on philosophical ideas and denied the notion of the gods.