The Roman Empire in Relation to Culture (B)

(Originally written July 16, 2006 in Book 4)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

The Roman Empire in Relation to Culture (continued)

Rome's direct influence on Greek thought was largely responsible through two men:
1) Polybius (a historian)
2) Panaetius (a Stoic)

Polybius was born in 200 BC in Arcadia. He was  Greek who was enslaved in Rome. While in Rome he became friends with Scipio and wrote the History of the Punic Wars in both Greek and Latin.

Panaetius was also a friend of Scipio and while Scipio was alive he spent a lot of time in Rome. After Scipio's death he spent most of his time in Athens as the head of the Stoic school.

Epictetus was a Greek (Stoic) but spent most of his life in Rome.

Plutarch (AD 46 - 120) attempted to reconcile Greek and Rome through his works, especially Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.

For the most part the Greeks regarded the Romans with fear and contempt. Thought and art declined under Roman rule.

The four major philosophical schools left during the Roman rule were:
1) The Academy
2) The Peripatetics
3) The Epicureans
4) The Stoics

Another Russell attack on God- "The recognized schools of philosophy - The Academy, the Peripatetics, the Epicureans and the Stoics - continued to exist until they were closed by Justinian, from Christian bigotry, in the year AD 529" (Russell, 277).

When Rome first came into contact with the Greeks they became aware of how barbaric the Romans really were.

Young Romans admired the Greek culture after the Punic Wars.

Rome learned the Greek language, architecture and identified their gods with the Greek ones. "Rome was culturally parasitic on Greece" (Russell, 278).

Despite Rome's lack of cultural originality, their vast stabilizing of the known world spread the Greek culture far and wide. Rome 'civilized' the world.

In addition to Rome, the Mohammedans (Arabs) spread Hellenism.

The Arabs preserved Aristotle, while the West mainly focused on Plato.