The stormy transition from mythos to logos in ancient Greece
The time frame of our engagement with ancient Greece in this text is the 8th century bc when
the ancient Greek confederation began to be established and ended with the Peloponnesian
wars at the end of the 5th century bc. the newly formed politically autonomous states (polises)
that formed this federation from the 8th to the 7th centuries bc linked their origins and actual
political action to a mythical world imagination. around the same time, the link between
religion and politics was 'smuggled in' by the active skepticism of intellectuals and scholars
who problematized the strong link between politics, religion, and the people. in the master's
thesis, we have highlighted in particular the workings of various religious concepts and
organizations, ranging from the olympian religion, mysteries, oracles, national festivals,
enlightenment institutions, and family (clan) socialization, influences from theocratic
neighboring state formations on the Greeks, etc., which challenged the doubt about the
mythological construction of the world. on the other hand, we have the works of the first
legislators, playwrights, philosophers, natural scientists, etc., who sought to challenge the
old conceptions, traditional beliefs and to offer the great mass of believers more choice in
their perception of everyday life. in this way, the shift from mythos to logos creates a schism
or a sense of spiritual stratification among all social classes. in this master's thesis, we wanted
to show why the birth of rationalism as a way of life in the period of classical Greece was
unable to accept the prevailing dictates of the religious and why this great topic of social
science research is so alive today.
Keywords: law, greek drama, age of enlightenment, mysteries, myth and reason (logos)
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