Summary

The web content discusses the problematic legacy of ancient Greek and Roman societies, particularly their influence on modern Western culture, including systemic racism, sexism, and militarism, as highlighted by Classics professor Dr. Dan-el Padilla Peralta.

Abstract

The article reflects on the impact of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations on contemporary society, emphasizing the contradiction between the revered intellectual achievements of figures like Aristotle and the societal structures that permitted slavery and the subjugation of women. Dr. Dan-el Padilla Peralta, a Classics professor at Princeton, critiques the traditional study of classical antiquity for ignoring the majority of the population from those times and for being co-opted by white supremacist groups. The piece argues that the philosophies of ancient thinkers, while contributing significantly to the concepts of liberty, justice, and critical thinking, also laid the groundwork for exclusory practices that persist today. It suggests that to move forward, modern society must reconcile the positive aspects of classical thought with the need for inclusivity and equality, learning from both ancient and contemporary perspectives, including those of marginalized voices.

Opinions

Dr. Padilla Peralta believes that the traditional methods of studying classical antiquity are flawed because they glorify the works of a few while ignoring the vast majority of the population, thus distorting the context of those works.
The article suggests that the ancient societies of Greece and Rome, celebrated for their contributions to Western civilization, have also provided a historical basis for systemic racism and militarism in America.
Aristotle's views on natural slavery and the inherent suitability of some people for enslavement are seen as a way to justify and rationalize the practice.
Despite some philosophical opposition to slavery, such as from the Stoics, the economic and social structures of ancient societies were deeply dependent on slave labor.
The article points out that the legacy of ancient philosophies includes the notion of "White Privilege" and the idea that certain groups of people are inherently more deserving than others.
The Enlightenment period, while advocating for freedom from tyranny and inalienable rights, did not significantly advance the rights of women or address the contradictions of figures like John Locke who profited from the slave trade.
The piece questions whether the philosophies of ancient thinkers can remain relevant in today's complex and interconnected world, especially when they contain assumptions about who deserves freedom and justice.
The author proposes that resolving contemporary societal conflicts requires a combination of learning from diverse cultures and incorporating modern perspectives alongside classical studies.

Aristotle Owned Slaves

Why it Matters

There was an article in a recent NYT Magazine about Dan-el Padilla Peralta. He is a professor in the Classics Department at Princeton. Unlike almost all other Classics professors, he is a Black man who was born in the Dominican Republic, raised in poverty, and had lived for a time in a homeless shelter in New York.

Even though he is very well respected in his field, Dr. Padilla decided he can no longer condone the traditional methods of how the famous works of antiquity are studied. It does not surprise him that the ancient societies of Greece and Rome have been embraced as models for America by White Supremacy Groups. He is very upset because all that is honored about those cultures are the great works that were handed down from the philosophers and scholars of that time. He feels that the other 99.5% of the population of those societies are ignored and forgotten and that doing so distorts the meaning of those great works. He feels they need to be considered in the context in which they were conceived.

The article quotes the first book that Dr. Padilla Peralta read about Greece and Rome when he was nine-years-old:

“Western civilization was formed from the union of early Greek wisdom and the highly organized legal minds of early Rome.” “The Greek belief in a person’s ability to use his powers of reason, coupled with Roman faith in military strength, produced a result that has come to us as a legacy, or gift from the past.”

I was completely blown away by those quotes. Clearly, Mr. Padilla agrees with them, but not in the way that they were meant. What he focuses on is the legacy of racism that has been part of Western culture since the beginning. To me, it was not only the racism, which laid the foundation for the systemic racism that endures in America today, but also the militarism that has been so much a part of American culture since it became a nation.

There is no doubt that Aristotle was a great thinker who had a profound influence on everyone who came after him, but it is also true that his thoughts were directed at the.5% of the population who had the resources to spend their time thinking and contemplating the universe. He did not consider that any of his thoughts were relevant to the enslaved people who made his life possible, or for the women, who were never given the right to make any important decisions.

Of course, Aristotle was a man who lived in a time when slavery was more of an energy policy than one of discrimination. Someone or something had to do the manual labor, work in the fields and mines, and clean the latrines. Slaves were there for that and much more. They were indispensable. Aristotle even wrote a thesis on how some people who naturally suited to be slaves, and had no potential to be anything else. That must have made him feel better.

However, there were some who questioned the practice, most notably the Stoics who acknowledged the contradiction between espousing liberty, yet keeping slaves. However, it seems their beliefs were more theoretical than in practice. Slaves were necessary for those with riches and power to live better lives. Few people were eager to pick up the scrub brush.

Most slaves were people who lost the battle. When two city-states fought, it was the victors’ right to take as many slaves from the losers as they wished. So, slavery in antiquity did not always have racial overtones.

But, embedded in all of these philosophies that speak of liberty, justice, and equality, is the assumption that those freedoms only apply to rich white men. Also, what came out of those times was that the highest calling for every able-bodied man was to be a soldier. The slaves did the dirty work, the citizens, the men, trained for battle. It has carried over to where if you walk down the mall in Washington there are about nine memorials to soldiers and one to Martin Luther King, the lone peacemaker in the bunch (not counting the ones to former Presidents).

When I was in school they taught American history through its wars and battles, starting with the wars against the natives and continuing through everything that was necessary to achieve our “Manifest Destiny.” A lot of time was spent on the American Civil War. It seems that some of those issues have not been completely resolved. That was clearly demonstrated by the guy who carried the Confederate flag into the Capitol during the raid to overturn the election.

What we are left with is two levels of messages from the writers and philosophers of antiquity. On one level there are insights into the rational mind and use of critical thinking. They discussed ways to determine what is real and what is true? There are dialogues and debates over what is fairness and justice. There are dramas that examine the results of betrayal vs loyalty, lust vs. reason, and other basic human emotions. It is clear that these cognitive tasks are necessary in order for any society to function.

But woven tightly into these ideals is the understanding that they are not meant for everyone. The acceptance of slavery, subjugating women, and elevating the role of hyper-masculinity, is not even questioned.

In the early eighteenth century, when Western thought began to emerge from the Dark Ages and into The Enlightenment period, the works of many of the ancient Greeks and Romans were revived to give an alternative perspective to the heavily religious and superstitious beliefs of the previous centuries. Many of the thought leaders of that time focused on the ideals of how men should be free of tyranny, and there should be inalienable rights for all.

However, the underlying contradictions remained with most of them. John Locke, who was very influential, was ambivalent about slavery. He didn’t own any, but he invested heavily in businesses that bought and sold them. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, two of the men who fought to establish a nation based on many of Locke’s principles, lived well due to the efforts of enslaved people. They allowed the continuation of slavery to be written into the new Constitution.

The Enlightenment period did little to advance women’s rights. Some people began to acknowledge that many women had the ability to reason, to make decisions, and even to retain some money if they got divorced. But almost no one was advocating for them to be considered as equal to men. The two notable exceptions were John Stuart Mill and John Adams. Adams was pushed by his wife, Abagail, to stand up for the women.

How much of the blame for the racism, sexism, and hyper-militarism that we are experiencing in societies all over the world today can be traced to Plato, Aristotle, and their followers? Certainly some of it.

They unconsciously established the principle of “White Privilege.” They were able to easily disregard the contradictions that they created by placing the rich while men in a category that was higher, nobler, and more deserving than other groups of people. Many of them adhered to the idea that people were destined to be what their “nature” determined they should be. Slaves should be treated as slaves and women as women. Good generals were to be held in the highest esteem.

The place of generals can easily be understood because a poor general can expose the populations of his entire city-state to being captured and taken as slaves themselves. And Aristotle knew that the City of Carthage was stable and well regulated because it allowed the men of (almost) all the rungs of society to vote and take part in making governmental decisions. He was also very fearful of the anger and aggressiveness of men who felt thwarted in their ambitions. He felt it was better to keep those men under control by force than to use the rule of law, negotiations, and compromise. He did not feel those were possibilities that their “nature” would allow. Perhaps he was correct. We are still trying to figure that out.

Can the philosophies of these classical giants still be as relevant in a world that is so much more complex and intertwined? Can we appreciate the parts that focus on freedom, justice, and critical thinking, while eliminating the assumption that only some people deserve those privileges? Or are we destined to continue to have destructive conflicts between nation-states, races, classes, and genders?

We are seeing how attempts to resolve those differences are still causing a great deal of turmoil in the world today. I suggest people begin by actually meeting and getting to know people who look different, eat different foods, and come from different places. That is much easier to do these days, as so many of us live around the corner.

Also, the study of the classics of antiquity should be balanced by more modern works such as those by Franz Fannon, James Baldwin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. We have much better, and hopefully cleaner, sources of energy now.

The virus has shown how what happens in China, and Italy can kill people in Idaho. We need to learn ways to build understanding and trust and to conclude that everyone on Earth is entitled to the same inalienable rights.