In the second book, "What's Wrong with the Diet? What is the role of the psyche?" the key role of the psyche in people's eating behavior was revealed. Harmony in the psyche becomes the engine for future changes in the eating behavior of people with...
What we will explore: What was the natural environment of the ancient Greeks like and to what extent did it shape their lives?
What is new: How did shame and conscience control citizens' freedom?
What will we learn: What did the citizen's conscience consist of concerning Kalokagathia?
1. I am never at home, because my wife can easily handle household chores independently (Xenophon, 1993. Domostroy. VII. 3) [1].
2. Religion, which gave birth to the state, and the state, which supported religion, enslaved both the soul and the body of man. In a society based on such principles, personal [private, ed., author] freedom could not exist (Guiraud Paul, 1995) [2].
3. Family environment. The ancient Greeks were born, lived, and died in an environment where they worshipped the gods of the pantheon. This worship was reflected in their family life as well as in the city-state of Athens. Within their families, they were taught from an early age to honor their deceased ancestors and to worship the patroness of the family hearth and sacrificial fire, the goddess Hestia [2].
Figure 1. The religion that gave birth to the state, and the state that supported religion, equally enslaved both the soul and the body of man. Reproduction of the statue of Athena Parthenos in Nashville (USA).
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4. State and religious environment. Over time, growing up, it became part of the polis-state with its social order. In it, all public life was prescribed in laws and rules, including the regulation of citizens' behavior in the area of honoring and worshiping the gods of the polis of Athens. The goddess Athena Pallas (virgin) was the patroness of their polis-state. Heroes * and demons (patrons of people and assistants of the gods) had the status of polis gods. There were common gods, such as Zeus. There was also a whole pantheon of gods who were identified with fertility and agriculture, hunting and cattle breeding, water sources and fishing, beauty and love, sexual and physical potency, the elements, various crafts, and all kinds of art, etc. What influence did such an environment have on the citizen's lifestyle?
* Heroes (Greek heros), characters of Greek myths, especially before history, and time, who did not belong to the number of gods or were only partially descended from deities, parents (Achilles, Hercules), semi-divine beings, standing at an intermediate level between god and people. Heroes were also considered people who after death continued to exert influence (patronizing or harmful), founders of cities (Miltiades in the Thracian Chersonesos), honored legislators (Solon), great benefactors, progenitors of tribes and communities (the hero gave names to communities), heroes included those who died in war (the warriors of Marathon), founders of philosophical schools, great poets. Faith in heroes played a large role among the Greek people, often heroes associated with a given place were addressed as gods, and such customs are reminiscent of the cult of saints in Christianity. The cult of heroes developed from the cult of the dead and the aristocratic funeral cult of the Mycenaean period [3].
