Why Romans succeeded

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Anonymous
Why Romans succeeded 2016-01-27 14:18:12 Post No. 7630195
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Why Romans succeeded Anonymous 2016-01-27 14:18:12 Post No. 7630195 [Report]

Do you think Greek and Roman paganism contributed to their ability to excel in scientific and philosophical areas?

I have been reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and while I think everything in here is another level of brilliance, Aurelius seems to consistently 'slack-off' existential problems on the gods. His conclusions about man are correct, but when you lay all misfortune and chaos on deities, it removes yourself from responsibility, allowing you to let those things pass.

It came to my attention on the toilet today, that this might be a contributing reason as to why Rome and Greece excelled in unknown areas. If one doesn't have to wonder existentially, or about their after life, it allows them much more freedom to explore the present. I'm obviously inclined to believe that there aren't deities living atop Mt. Olympus, or anywhere for that matter, and that takes away that 'comfort', and just adds uncertainty and chaos.

What do you think /lit/?

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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:39:40 Post No.7630346
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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:39:40 Post No.7630346 [Report]

>>7630195
>Greeks and Romans excelled in scientific areas

Sure thing bro. Earth is made up of cubes made out of triangles.

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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:47:07 Post No.7630366
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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:47:07 Post No.7630366 [Report]

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>>7630346

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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:55:13 Post No.7630379
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Anonymous 2016-01-27 15:55:13 Post No.7630379 [Report]

It had the opposite effect at times. Often when there's a major crisis in Rome, there's a vestal virgin trial. These were religious trials where they accused them of losing their virtue or leaving the fire go out, as an excuse to explain the political or financial turmoil of Rome. Since this didn't fix anything political or financial, Rome often just fucked up more after they buried a virgin alive.

Fun fact: the charges against vestals for breaking Rome's contract with the gods by lost virtue were charges of "incestum", where we get the modern word "incest" from.

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Anonymous 2016-01-27 16:04:31 Post No.7630402
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Anonymous 2016-01-27 16:04:31 Post No.7630402 [Report]

Check out Perry Anderson, Passages from Antiquity. There was little to no mechanical or technological process, or systematic interest in it, for centuries. Marxist, materialist, ascribes technological self-revolutionising and scientific rabidness for new discoveries to capitalist ideology.

Roman pragmatism and adaptability is a thing, major reason for their success. Religious syncretism but also civic syncretism, willingness to incorporate any advance that seems to benefit a rival, to massage their own traditions when they no longer fit circumstance, etc.