In the book The Greeks and the Irrational, the author E.R. Dodds studies whether the ancient Greeks were rationalists, or contrary to popular belief, they were sensitive to the non-rational factors of human experience. During a museum visit, Dodds gets his inspiration for this book from a young man who thinks Greek art “lacked the awareness of mystery”(1) for it to be interesting. He then goes on to write this book, so that “anthropologists and scholars who had no specialist knowledge of ancient Greece” get to have a different perspective on ancient Greek civilization.
Dodds believes the Greeks were irrational as said in the title of the book. To reach this conclusion, he uses both primary sources from the Archaic age, through the Classical …show more content…
In the first chapter, he uses the example of Agamemnon taking away Achilles’ mistress to compensate the loss of his to establish that the story is an illustration of Greek irrationality. He determines that the Greeks attributed “ate” to a “supernatural agency” to strip themselves out of responsibility and that this proves the Greeks are indeed religious. Then, in the second chapter, Dodds assumes that the need for religious experience came from the transition from a shame culture to a guilt culture, from a collective society to an individualistic society. Also, he noticed that the meaning of “ate” and “daemon” had developed to “punishment”, “deception” and “destiny” due to religious need. In the third chapter, the author goes on to explain that “ate” continue to evolve as a gift from divinity according to …show more content…
In chapter four, “Dream Pattern and Culture Pattern”, the author concludes three types of dream in Homer and people’s reaction towards them. Dreams were seen as a way of communication with the divine and, therefore, prove that the Greek way of interpreting dreams were irrational. In chapter five, “the Greek Shamans and the Origins of Puritanism”, Dodds examines the shamanistic culture and the concept of body and soul. He believes that Greeks view rebirth as “enhancement of power” and this shamanistic belief helped the progress to
Dodds believes the Greeks were irrational as said in the title of the book. To reach this conclusion, he uses both primary sources from the Archaic age, through the Classical …show more content…
In the first chapter, he uses the example of Agamemnon taking away Achilles’ mistress to compensate the loss of his to establish that the story is an illustration of Greek irrationality. He determines that the Greeks attributed “ate” to a “supernatural agency” to strip themselves out of responsibility and that this proves the Greeks are indeed religious. Then, in the second chapter, Dodds assumes that the need for religious experience came from the transition from a shame culture to a guilt culture, from a collective society to an individualistic society. Also, he noticed that the meaning of “ate” and “daemon” had developed to “punishment”, “deception” and “destiny” due to religious need. In the third chapter, the author goes on to explain that “ate” continue to evolve as a gift from divinity according to …show more content…
In chapter four, “Dream Pattern and Culture Pattern”, the author concludes three types of dream in Homer and people’s reaction towards them. Dreams were seen as a way of communication with the divine and, therefore, prove that the Greek way of interpreting dreams were irrational. In chapter five, “the Greek Shamans and the Origins of Puritanism”, Dodds examines the shamanistic culture and the concept of body and soul. He believes that Greeks view rebirth as “enhancement of power” and this shamanistic belief helped the progress to