Introduction
Philosophy has and remains to be one of the most pivotal pillar that aids the understanding of various phenomenon. While this is true, it is sad the scope and origin of philosophy is never appreciated in the educational realm. A close analysis of schooling across various contexts shows that education dogma has often been perceived to be western dogma. This is not true based on the primary fact that philosophy, which forms the basis of education can be traced to the ancient Greek times. It is on this basis that Greek philosophy should be considered a tradition, which should be hailed across various settings for the comprehensive role it plays, especially in the educational realm (Blackson 24). Evidently, the word tradition may be defined as a behaviour or a belief with a symbolic significance, which is passed from one generation to another.
Discussion
As previously connoted here in, there are various justification of the notion as to why Greek philosophy should be considered as a tradition. More importantly, western academic history can be traced to the ancient Greeks. This makes Greek philosophy a tradition in that it is a concept that was transferred from the ancient Greek, perhaps from Greece to western nations. Arguably, western civilization is perhaps the most comprehensive factor that facilitated the spread of this tradition. The fact that academic history can be traced back to the ancient Greeks should not warrant the notion that there existed no deep scholarly thoughts before the ancient Greeks (Mitchel 19). This is because other philosophies such as the ancient Indian and Chinese philosophy eventually came to impact on western intellectual history. However, Greek philosophy remains to be the most pertinent tradition that had an immense influence on western intellectual history.
The other argument as to why Greek philosophy should be considered a tradition aligns with the impact that it had and continues to have on various religions, especially Christianity. According to Tkacz (page 15), Christian writers throughout the late ancient times used Greek science and philosophy to articulate Christian religious beliefs. In fact, these writers propose that Christians are allowed to emulate that which may be helpful from Greek science. Precisely, Christians as articulated by the Christian writers are free to utilize pagan Greek philosophy to understand the truth. This is evident in the fact that Moses, in the bible, allowed his followers to carry precious vessels such as gold from the Egyptians during their exodus to Canaan from the land of bondage. From this analysis, Greek philosophy fits the definition of a tradition in that a tradition is a doctrine that is poised to have some divine authority. This is evident in that Christians use Greek philosophy to confirm a wider array of matters regarding truth.
Conclusion
Work Cited
Blackson, Thomas A. Ancient Greek Philosophy: From the Pre-Socratic to the Hellenistic Philosophers. Malden, Mass: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
Cohen, Marc, Curd, Patricia, and Reeve, C.D.C. Readings in Ancient Greek Philosophy, (Fourth Edition): From Thales to Aristotle. London: Hackett Publishing, 2011. Print.
Mitchell, Helen. Roots of Wisdom: A Tapestry of Philosophical Traditions. New York: Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Tkacz, Michael. The Multicultural West: Ethnicity and the Intellectual Foundations of Western Civilization.” The Intercollegiate Review, (1997): 10-17. Print.
