Homeric Values

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the concepts of ethics and moral law of modern western democratic society are based largely on those proposed by Immanuel Kant in his essay "Fundamental Principles of the Meta-physic of Morals." The author looks at these concepts and tries to draw a comparison between their application in the twenty-first century, as well as in Homeric society.

From the Paper:

"The importance of religion in Homeric society and the submission to fate by men are integral to understanding why the Homeric Greeks did not hold themselves accountable for any form of moral responsibility. A devastating attack on the Greek lines by the Trojans leads the god Poseidon, who has Greek sympathies, to threaten that any man who willingly ceases from fighting will not return home and shall become food for the dogs of Troy (Homer 13.234). It follows that this threat excludes those who do not fight as a result of forces beyond their control, or against their will. This suggests that there was amongst the Greeks a belief in divine intervention, a suggestion illustrated by Agamemnon when he realizes that the Achaeans shall fall before the Trojans without the presence of Achilles."

More papers on Homeric Values:

• Analytical Essay # 123018 : "Greek Values and 'The Odyssey'"
• Essay # 84855 : "Values in Rembrandt and Rubens"
• Analytical Essay # 57701 : "The Society of the Homeric Poems"

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