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1 - The Problematic Greek Miracle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 February 2025

Reviel Netz
Affiliation:
Stanford University, California
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Summary

The notion of the “Greek miracle” is problematic for an obvious reason: it implies that some transcendent set of values was present in a parochial section of humanity. While anti-racist arguments serve to historicize this miracle and show how it is explained without reference to the identity of the Greeks, we should be on our guard concerning the potential racist ways in which discussion of the “Greek miracle” may be appropriated. The chapter surveys such racist appropriations and comments that we need, nevertheless, to come up with concrete accounts of the Greek miracle, precisely so as to refute such racism and also, and less obviously, we should recognize the way in which certain processes, begun with the Greeks, have a progressive political valence, the theme of the remainder of the book.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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  • The Problematic Greek Miracle
  • Reviel Netz, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Why the Ancient Greeks Matter
  • Online publication: 06 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009505604.002
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  • The Problematic Greek Miracle
  • Reviel Netz, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Why the Ancient Greeks Matter
  • Online publication: 06 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009505604.002
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • The Problematic Greek Miracle
  • Reviel Netz, Stanford University, California
  • Book: Why the Ancient Greeks Matter
  • Online publication: 06 February 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009505604.002
Available formats
×