01-03-2014, 08:03 PM
This thread has touched on something very, very, important to the academic side of things. Its actually a central issue. We've no real right to judge.
Basically, yes the Romans were atrocious. There's no "yes but" or anything like that. Pretty much all ancient societies were, that's why the did the things we remember them by - it was predicated on the wealth and stability that come from such actions. Such is history. For a perfect example I'll always remember what one of my Greek History professors told us as an example: The Emperor Ashoka is a canonical example of the "great king" for ancient historians, he was a Buddhist, sponsor of great learning, equality and so on. He declared all humankind to be his children and all that. Yay, lovely person. He won his throne after some ridiculously brutal campaigns.
We have to admit this stuff. We have to move beyond the encomiastic tradition. We do not, however, judge. Physicists don't judge atoms. There's no real room for moral censure. I personally even hate the horrible literary critique that goes on. You know the kind, some posh academic will tell us that Statius is a second rate poet. Well his contemporaries didn't think so!
It's basically not for us to judge. It's also not for us to be dishonest either.
Basically, yes the Romans were atrocious. There's no "yes but" or anything like that. Pretty much all ancient societies were, that's why the did the things we remember them by - it was predicated on the wealth and stability that come from such actions. Such is history. For a perfect example I'll always remember what one of my Greek History professors told us as an example: The Emperor Ashoka is a canonical example of the "great king" for ancient historians, he was a Buddhist, sponsor of great learning, equality and so on. He declared all humankind to be his children and all that. Yay, lovely person. He won his throne after some ridiculously brutal campaigns.
We have to admit this stuff. We have to move beyond the encomiastic tradition. We do not, however, judge. Physicists don't judge atoms. There's no real room for moral censure. I personally even hate the horrible literary critique that goes on. You know the kind, some posh academic will tell us that Statius is a second rate poet. Well his contemporaries didn't think so!
It's basically not for us to judge. It's also not for us to be dishonest either.
Jass
