The Athenian Constitution
This explains the process of “replacing tribal
alliances and kinship with territorial ‘politics of place’”. It explains how once the Peisistratid were
overthrown the Greek city was ruled under two different people Isagoras and
Cleisthenes. It further talks about how Isagoras and his friend rose up against
Cleisthenes, but later surrendered while in the city of Acropolis. So
Cleisthenes is now in leader and gives the people control. He used his
influence to set up new and better reforms.
The results of the reforms set up the basis for democracy. And because
the local people were giving real “power shifted from relatives to residents”.
Funeral Oration of Pericles
This is a funeral speech perform by the ancient
historian Thucydides during the Peloponnesian War for the soldiers who died
fighting in the war against Sparta. He
also explains “the principle of action we rose to power” which he explains is a
democracy because it is “in the hands of the many and not the few”
I do believe all three
of these texts are based on secular and humanist approaches. The first text Athenian
Constitution explains how the leader Cleisthenes set up different reforms after
coming to power when he overthrew the tyranny of the Peisistratid. And the
reforms he later set up became the basis of democracy which shifted the power
from relatives to residents. I believe this was a more humanist text because of
the change in government.
The next text, a
funerary text, called the Funeral Oration of Pericles. But it’s not a funerary
text similar to that of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. This funerary text is attributing
to those who died while fighting the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans.
The speaker Thucydides starts by saying “we are lamenting the dead; a tribute
should be paid to their memory”.
The next text is called
the Republic; it’s one of the most famous books of philosophy, which talks
about how he “forsook the political arena for a life of contemplation”.
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