The Greeks Who Made Us Who We Are

<p> Hellenic contributions to Western Civilization are acknowledged by all but the details of their endowment are under-appreciated. This volume seeks to disclose two distinctive features of Western culture uniquely attributable to the ancient Greeks: A human-centered worldview that elevated humans to the threshold of divinity and a philosophical temperament which for the first time in history proffered the unbridled operation of the human mind as a kind of cultural imperative.</p><p> Eighteen seminal thinkers who left lasting impressions in such fields as ethics medicine religion politics poetry and art are examined in detail. The efforts of these individuals helped establish a unique cultural pedigree unlike any other in world history. They invested the West with that restless intrepid habit of mind that remains the hallmark of Western civilization to this day.</p>