The foundations of western thought
- An untaxing course in ancient thought in the context of places where the great philosophers, scientists and physicians lived and practised.
- The cruise also aims to equip participants with an understanding of philosophy generally and its relevance in the modern world.
- Medical history is a significant strand.
- As a foil to the intellectual content of the cruise, there are (optional) guided walks through lovely countryside.
- And as the ideal Dionysian complement to the cerebral, Apollonian aspects, there are talks on the recent renaissance of Greek wine-making – and opportunities to enjoy its fruits.
Mathematics, astronomy, physics, biology, medicine, political theory, literary criticism and the writing of history, not to mention subjects now classified as philosophy proper such as ethics, logic and metaphysics: all these have their beginnings in ancient Greece, or the Greeks took them up and set them on the paths which led directly to modern theory and practice.
This cruise provides an introductory course for the intelligent layman on Greek philosophy and its relevance today. It takes the form of a series of lectures and visits to sites associated with the most important philosophers and scientists. The principal speaker is Richard Sorabji, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, King’s College London, Honorary Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Oxford, former Director of the Institute of Classical Studies and one-time President of the Aristotelian Society.
Also accompanying the cruise are a medical historian and a classicist, the broader historical and cultural contexts expected of traditional Hellenic cruising constituting indispensable strands of the academic input.
It is intended to appeal not only to those who are fascinated by Classical civilization but also to anyone who has ever wanted to learn more about the nature of the mind and about the process of thought. Participants should come away from this cruise with a grasp of the history, substance and methodology of the principal thinkers of ancient Greece, and with some knowledge of the practical applications and technologies which were the outcome.
They will also have acquired some understanding of the fundamental and eternal questions of philosophy and of the nature of philosophical enquiry and discourse applicable to all time.
No single place or time has ever come close to Classical Athens for the importance and abundance of its philosophical achievements – let alone done so while there were comparable achievements in the visual arts, literature and statecraft. This cruise allows more time at Athens than at any other place on the itinerary. Apart from relevant associations, there is of course a great deal to see and for those who haven’t been there for a few years there are some pleasing surprises in store.
Athens, however, is an exception in that many of the other sites associated with the great philosophers are off the beaten track, even for well-travelled Hellenists. This is a happy circumstance for this cruise. The intellectual content will provide much food for reflection and discussion, and to pack the itinerary with the stimuli of large and spectacular sites would risk vitiating the central purpose of the occasion through mental overload. The option of guided country walks on three islands further enhances its contemplative nature.
The itinerary has been designed so that the first full day is spent at sea, opportunity for introductory lectures before the first landfall. Fortuitously this is Miletos in eastern Greece, now Turkey, where in the sixth century BC philosophy began with Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. On the mainland of Greece proper we visit Athens and, in Macedonia and Thrace in northern Greece, the natal cities of Aristotle, Protagoras and Demokritus.
Interspersed between visits to the mainland there are the islands of Kos, Samos and Chios, associated respectively with Hippocrates, Pythagoras and Homer. Finishing as we began, with chronological appropriateness, we return to Asia Minor to see Pergamon, in the second century AD home (when he wasn’t tending emperors in Rome) to the physician Galen.
Aristarchus of Samos demonstrated that the earth revolved around the sun, Anaximander of Miletos discovered the evolution of species, Demokritus of Abdera proposed atomic theory and Hippocrates devised the ethical code which still governs the medical profession. Until very recent times, philosophers and scientists wearily accepted that they were but dwarfs standing on the shoulders of the ancients, and that modern philosophical enterprise was mere footnotes to Plato and Aristotle.
What was revolutionary about Greek thought was, first, the bold, probing, relentless questioning and theorizing about the nature of things and, second, the couching of answers in rational terms without deference to tradition or recourse to the supernatural. The Greeks sought universal principles, posited the permanent behind the accident of individual instances and tried to find the principles of the nature through disciplined reasoning and rigorous observation.
There were divergent and sometimes conflicting trends here. The speculative approach, based on the power of reasoning alone, if tempered by experience and observation, gave rise to an incomparable body of significant thought, later denominated as physics and metaphysics. These deal with the most fundamental questions of existence, of the nature of the cosmos and of the nature of mankind. Some of the propositions of the ancients might strike us as bizarre, but the point is that the questions were asked, and that answers were found through reasoning.
The Greeks were also the first to examine the ways in which we think and observe, and to identify the rules underlying rational thought. They developed an understanding of logic, deduction and induction, and an appreciation of the disinterested use of empirical evidence.
Empiricism was the other great innovation of the Greeks, counterbalancing the theoretical and speculative approach with the attempt to establish truths about the world and the cosmos by observation and – though this came late – experiment. From this flowed their achievements in biology, natural history, applied sciences, medicine and technology.
The modern study of history, with its aspirations to evidence-based objectivity, has a lineage traceable directly to fifth-century Greece. And by extension, so have the instances of tourism which are inspired by a desire for learning and enlightenment. This cruise bears aloft the torch lit by Herodotos.
Greek wines
A decade ago, with a few honourable exceptions, Greek wines were not terribly exciting. Devoted fans of Greece grew used to jibes about Retsina (very good when cold and after a long swim!) and oxidised, heat-affected reds. We now have a wide choice of ‘modern’ wines made from both indigenous and imported grape varieties that are sometimes blended with the native vines. Of course, the very word ‘oenologist’ comes from the Greek language. In some ways Greek wine was hampered by its ancient history, but it has now burst forth with delicious reds and whites that can take their rightful place of honour within the Mediterranean spectrum.
Wine is made all over Greece, with an increasing number of individual, quality estates aiming for limited-release success. The wines are as varied as the terrain, which can range from mountainous to maritime, although everywhere very hot summers are the norm. Soil is mostly volcanic on the islands and limestone on the mainland, with every kind of topsoil.
We are very fortunate to have been able to secure the services of two of Britain’s most renowned wine experts, Serena Sutcliffe and David Peppercorn. They will select wines which will be served on board the ship and will give short talks about them and about wine-making in Greece generally.
Country walking
A feature of this cruise – strictly optional, but available for all – is the opportunity for some country walking. There are walks on three afternoons (and perhaps mornings as well if you are happy to skip the museums and archaeological sites) on three different islands, spaced three days apart. Kos, Samos and Chios offer different landscapes from one another, and the latter two have some of the finest scenery in the Aegean archipelago, a mixture of wooded hills and cultivation. We are engaging experienced local walk leaders.
How strenuous? You must be fit and sure-footed and used to country walking with some uphill element. Perhaps we should call them hikes rather than walks. Well-worn walking boots are essential. The duration is between two and three-and-a half hours. There is some choice of routes to cater for differing capabilities.
And if you don’t want to walk? You can stay on the ship, potter in the port town or join the walkers on the drive inland to enjoy the scenery. Our guess is that you will not be in a small minority.