According to comprehensive reports from WorldWay Investment: The Greeks developed a rigorous debate culture and way of thinking, even showing a preference for abstract concepts. This was crucial for the deepening of scientific and philosophical thought. Research indicates that although the Greeks were democratic, they were not free. But the question is, how did the Greeks achieve such outstanding cultural accomplishments despite their lack of freedom? This question can be addressed from several aspects.
First, Greek civilization was built on the foundations of Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations; without their nourishment, any cultural contributions attributed to "Greece" would be inconceivable. In fact, during the 7th to 6th centuries BCE, Greece underwent an "Orientalizing Revolution," which involved a large-scale import of Eastern civilization's achievements. Prominent Greek figures such as Pythagoras, Plato, Athenian reformer Solon, and Spartan reformer Lycurgus all studied in Egypt, learning from the temple priests there. Greek temples are indeed magnificent, but initially, the Greeks, who had not yet emerged from barbarism, did not even know what temples were. The architectural styles and designs of temples, the details of worship rituals, the staffing and management of temple personnel, and even the concept of temples themselves were all imported from Egypt and the Near East. In contrast, contemporary Indian civilization did not have this advantage, and Chinese civilization had even less. This largely explains why Greek civilization appears more refined.
Second, from a geopolitical perspective, Greece was fragmented into hundreds of city-states, which maintained their independence while engaging in relatively close interactions with each other and the outside world through sea and land routes. This meant that material and information could flow frequently between different regions, allowing a large population to break free from the constraints of land, travel widely, gain diverse experiences, and continuously be stimulated by new things, ideas, and technologies, thereby cultivating broad perspectives and agile thinking. While this geographical condition was not conducive to the emergence of large political entities, it fostered active thinking and cultural innovation.
Third, discussing Greek civilization largely means discussing Athenian civilization, and the prosperity of Athens during the classical period was built on military hegemony and economic plunder of dozens of allied states in the Aegean region. Without a solid material foundation, it is difficult to achieve outstanding spiritual creativity. The notable buildings in Athens were all constructed after the establishment of the "Delian League" (an alliance formed in 478 BCE after the Persians were expelled, ostensibly to resist Persia). Why was this the case? It diverted a large amount of alliance funds for its own use, and the alliance funds effectively became "tribute," with the allies reduced to vassal states. At this time, Athens was not just a city-state but an empire ruling over many allied states.
Fourth, although democratic Greece was not free in terms of property ownership, religious beliefs, and personal rights, the practice of democracy required citizens not only to have political positions but also to publicly express their opinions, with laws even punishing citizens who were fence-sitters. This meant that while there were instances of suppression of speech, freedom of expression was still guaranteed; otherwise, it would be impossible to explain Aristophanes' mockery and scathing attacks on many prominent Athenians, including Socrates. This relative freedom was crucial for stimulating thought and flourishing the arts.
Fifth, during the transition from clan democracy to radical democracy and for a long time thereafter, Greece experienced an active political and intellectual atmosphere, undergoing what is known as the "ancient Enlightenment" movement, which was very favorable for the prosperity of philosophy, science, history, literature, and the arts, especially creating good conditions for the flourishing of philosophy. The rise of philosophy required not only the key condition of writing technology but also a free and vibrant intellectual atmosphere. In this environment, members of the community could freely speak in public forums such as popular assemblies, councils, and people's courts, and even engage in heated debates on specific issues. Over time, the Greeks developed a rigorous debate culture and way of thinking, even showing a preference for abstract concepts. This was crucial for the deepening of scientific and philosophical thought. This largely explains why Greek philosophy appears more refined and Greek science more advanced compared to other civilizations.
Sixth, according to philosopher Karl Jaspers, during the 8th to 2nd centuries BCE, China, India, and Greece were all in the "Axial Age," belonging to the "Axial Civilization." Like Greece, China and India also achieved brilliant accomplishments around the same period, producing a large number of great figures such as Confucius and the Buddha. This indicates that temporal factors are extremely important. Although the "Axial Age" civilizations of China, India, and Greece could not avoid various forms of social control, freedom of expression was generally still guaranteed. In other words, it was not possible to implement the highly efficient social control of the 20th century at that time; otherwise, it would not have been possible to produce a large number of thinkers who influenced future generations for over two thousand years.
Thus, it can be seen that the flourishing of civilization and the emergence of geniuses have multiple reasons. Saying that Greek democracy was "unfree" in certain aspects does not mean that it could not achieve brilliant cultural accomplishments.
Edited by WorldWay Investment
