Blog Post #2

Though I do feel a bit of  a “going with the flow” in writing about the Greeks, I do find their civilization, along with that of Rome, to be of particular interest to me. In the context of rooting out ways of thinking along with modern technological advances that have, in some from or fashion, relation back to the Greeks, I have a particular interest. I have always found it interesting how some things from a past civilization may be carried into the next, while other ideas and technology may be shut down, regardless of its benefit to society. A prime example of this would be (and I know, its kind of weird that I actually know this) Greek sanitation and plumbing. In their prime, the Greeks had full on sewer systems, aqueducts for cleaner water to be distributed from major sources, and they didn’t just throw waste into the streets because they had individual building plumbing which connected to the sewers (within the city, where most of this technology was utilized). Comparing all of these sorts of physical advancements to society to modern society, we can see amazing similarities (Colorado river aqueduct anyone?). Though how does this affect the way in which people think today?

There is a continuing theme within our history of building upon the work of those from the past. Taking the best and brightest ideas and making them even better to benefit society. A huge portion of this sort of thinking came from the Greeks. They encouraged technological advancement and societal advancement much like we do today. My argument lies within the technological advancement that we see with the Greeks, and I will expand on that thought. In order for modern science to come up with better ways of say, transporting water and giving individual housing plumbing, it had to start with an example. And the Greeks gave us these examples, and many more, though I have not personally studied such inventions. It is important to reinforce that within all of this technological advancement there is a constant mindset of wanting to better society, as well as self. This too, the Greeks encouraged (to a point, but that is another discussion on politics and greed). It is this frame of mind that both our society and that of the Greeks share that is so important. We can see from history during the middle ages when such advancement and other ways of thinking were so shunned by society at large, and how stagnant a society can become when alternative ideas are not encouraged and argued. For societies to advance, there must be an ability to share alternative ideas and ways of life, without such things it becomes exceedingly difficult to move forward. That is why I think we live in such an amazing time, when technological advancement it exploding and alternate ways of thinking are becoming an individual necessity. It is such thinking that will continue to carry us forward, hopefully to a better end than that of the Greek civilization.