Ancient Greek Contributions Dbq Essay Example

things were meant to be pondered upon. The Socratic seminar is a teaching method that was developed based on Socrates’ quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” (Doc. ). A Socratic seminar is made up of a group of people who are presented with an open-ended question that they may add to or discuss ideas with the group about what the question is asking. The Socratic method is still a widely used teaching practice in Western Civilizations. Along with Socrates, Aristotle (384-322 B. C. ) was another influential ancient Greek philosopher. Aristotle thought that human reason was a “godlike” part of human nature (Doc. 2). He also believed that “a life guided by human reason is superior to any other” (Doc. 2).

These philosophies that both Socrates and Aristotle taught are still used in Western civilization today, thus showing the ancient Greek contribution in philosophy. The drama that unfolds within the play Antigone (written in about 441 B. C. ) by Sophocles teaches Western civilizations the values that the ancient Greeks believed in (Doc. 6). In the plot of the play, Antigone defies the king and buries her brother after he dies while leading a rebellion (Doc. 6). Antigone decided to go against (the King) Creon and buries her brother, and she says “For me it was not (god) Zeus who made that order.

Nor do I think that your orders were strong so that you, a mortal man, could overrun the gods’ unwritten and unfailing laws... ” (Doc. 6). The lines show that Creon was trying to convince Antigone that she defied Zeus’s orders but she continues to think that it was all only just

the king’s order. The play showed that the ancient Greek value of gods must be upheld. The play had a big contribution to the Western civilizations because it taught them to only believe their gods and trust only within their own god’s wishes.

The ancient Greek civilization created many lasting contributions to Western civilizations in the areas of math, art, philosophy, and drama. Within each area, the ancient Greek philosophers, playwrights, artists, and mathematicians made personal and/ or large contributions to their society. Each person made a lasting mark in ancient Greek history that the Western civilizations used as building blocks to establish values within their own civilizations. Without the ancient Greeks, the Western world may not have as much establishment or values that it posseses today.