Posted by LanceD on June 02, 1999 at 00:27:11:

In Reply to: Roman Philosophy Negligable...? posted by Musketball on May 13, 1999 at 22:01:21:

Of course, this depends on what is called philosophy. Except for Lucretius and Virgil, course work in Ancient European philisophy tends to skip from Plato directly to Boethius, as if no one cared to comment in the intervening centuries.

Paul was a Roman, but his contribution to Western thought was Negligable. :) (Don't dare think that Paul was a Jewish thinker) The Romans took the Savior religions from the Middle East, notably Mitraism and Christianity, and made them essentially Roman. The 'Savior' is Roman philosophy, still practised today.

Also Roman philosophy, distinct from Christianity and other mystery cults, is faith in expression in public works. (Note however that the Romans were masters at screwing you when they could get away with it.) The Egyptian build large buildings also, but these were private. Later Europeans built for God, the Greeks to impress others, the Roman for the public (Nero excepted).

So I would say that the History of Ideas in days of the Roman empire were dominated by the influx of Savior and Mystery cults from the East, and by expression of political power by public works.

Follow Ups:

• Re: Roman Philosophy Negligable...? Musketball 14:15:12 9/08/99 (0)
• Re: Roman Philosophy Negligable...? Losky Lion 10:18:54 7/13/99 (0)
• Re: Roman Philosophy Negligable...? Losky Lion 10:18:39 7/13/99 (0)

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