Tyler Lotz 
Meghan Lawrence 
Gavin Lane Growing up in the twentieth and now twenty-first century culture, it is easy to get lost in how advanced our society is and lose sight of where our advances originated from. Ancient Greece has influenced cultures all around the world for centuries now, and we are no exception. The Greeks have been cited for laying the foundation of many things that bring us joy in our western culture, and several of these influences have intrigued people enough to the point in which they chose to make a career out of it. Things such as art, architecture, math, science, medicine, literature, theater, engineering, philosophy, and warfare have all been a part of our culture almost all the way back to the forefront of our existence as a country. Today, we study their tactics, we learn from their theories, and we continue to be amazed by the brilliance of the work that they did with such limited resources.
When I think of ancient Greece, I think of the Persian War, I think of tales of heroics such as Troy, the Illiad, and the Odyssey. Great philosophers come to mind such as Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, and Hippocrates. I am not rich in my knowledge of Greek history, but even knowing what little I do know about these men and their contributions to society, I can see their influences on our culture through mathematics, medicine, and theory. Movies have been made, books have been written, and much what we have learned from the Greeks has become mainstream entertainment for all to enjoy. Much of what is taught in schools can be traced back to some form of Greek philosophy and that is a testament to how profoundly we have been impacted by this group of people.
American culture has truly reaped the benefits of the foundation that was laid by the Greeks. With roots from Christianity, democracy, and philosophy, Americans intelligence and ways of thinking have been greatly challenged and expanded due to the work and knowledge that was provided by the ancient Greece. It’s just a shame that we too often lose sight of where our influences came from.
Lyndi Smith
10:17 am, 01.31.13
Josh, I couldn’t agree more with you when you say that the American culture has reaped the benefits of the foundation that was laid by the Greeks. The Greek culture has in fact created many roots for our culture, just as you said; involving Christianity, democracy, and philosophy. The Greeks are definitely a mainstream of entertainment for our culture today and through movies, music, stories, etc. they have modified the impact the Greeks have had to allow a better understanding for our living society. I think it’s also interesting that most of what we are taught throughout courses in our lives trace back to Greek culture somehow or another and I also think it’s a shame that we lost sight of where our influences came from. However, I am thankful for courses such as this one and many others that bring me back to my roots and help me realize where exactly my influences come from. Great way to put it, awesome job!
Lincoln Woods
2:34 pm, 01.31.13
I agree with the main message of this post, in that the Greeks influences and laid the foundation for the advanced world that we live in. The Romans were heavily influenced by the Greeks hundreds of years after their empire fell. Now, thousands of years later, we are still learning about the Greeks today. Without the logic and reason movement of the Greeks many of today’s simple questions might still be unanswered. This post has keyed in on this particular idea and insight. Unfortunately, because of the common understanding of ideas and theories that initially baffled the Greeks in their time, we have become apathetic and unappreciative of what they did. It’s an interesting thought to wish that we could go back to these traditional Greek ideas of pursuit of knowledge, and it is one that I agree with.