西方文化问答题(1)

1.Summarize in your own words the contributions of the Greek culture to the modern western civilization. In what way

The spirit of free inquiry, the theory and practice of democracy, the major forms of art and literature and philosophical thought, and the emphasis on individual freedom and individual responsibility---these are the splendid legacy of Greece to humanity.

2.Greeks and Romans:cultural similarities and differences

The Romans were ready to learn from other cultures, esp. Greek culture. To a large degree, it was the Romans who brought Greek culture to world attention.

Similarities :Language,Greek and Latin work in a similar way, for they both belong to the Into-European family.

political ideas,The citizen-assembly plays an important role in both political life.

Artistic styles,The Romans recognized the richness of Greek art and architecture, and they sought to emulate the Greek masters -- and the Greek styles and themes -- in their own art. religious beliefs,As the Greeks, the Romans believed in many gods. Also for them a different god looked after a different part of life.

Differences:Polis vs Cosmopolitanism, the Greeks had thought of the world as consisting of city-states. The Romans came to think of the entire world as a city in which every man might enjoy privileges of citizenship. They looked forward to a world composed of the most diverse elements and people.

Self-interest vs duty,The Romans did not see their public and private roles as necessarily conflicting with one another. The height of one's wisdom was to know one's duty and then to do it, and not to pursue self-interest. In this sense, the Romans were natural Stoics.

Chaos vs order,The Romans were optimistic about life whereas the Greeks were not. The Greeks saw chaos in the world. The Romans experienced that same chaos but held out for the possibility of bringing order out of that chaos. The Romans managed to translate their thought into actions.

3.Give a brief introduction to Locke’s life, ideas and great works.

John Locke (1632–1704) was a British philosopher, Oxford academic and medical researcher. He was also an economic writer, oppositional political activist, and finally a revolutionary whose cause ultimately triumphed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688. Much of Locke’s work is characterized by opposition to authoritarianism. For the individual, Locke wants each of us to seek truth by reasoning rather than simply accept the opinion of authorities. On the level of institutions it becomes important to distinguish the legitimate from the illegitimate functions of institutions and to make the corresponding distinction for the uses of force by these institutions.

4.one or two db figures of the Enlightenment and their central ideas.

Voltaire and Montesquieu are two of the representative figures of the Enlightenment. Voltaire exposed the dark side of France such as the corruption and injustice of Christianity by launching his theory on human nature. Also, he argued for the freedom and equality of ordinary people.

Montesquieu’s political theory developed the principle of dividing political power although the principle itself was not his invention. Montesquieu contributed significantly to the establishment of the modern Western state by exposing the nature of state and human beings in his great work Spirit of Law .For Montesquieu, it was climate that contributed most to the formation of a society and he believed it was shown in national character, political system, marriage codes, religion, and the use of slavery.