GREEK CULTURE FOUNDATION (GCF)
A Non-Profit Organization

Mission of the GREEK CULTURE FOUNDATION

Greek Culture Society

The Greek Culture Society puts into practice the mission of the GCF. Its view is that in many segments of contemporary society, the study of the classics is seen as regressive. Today’s technologically oriented culture is losing its contact with its starting point, that is, it loses its continuity and thus produces a fragmentary culture.

The GCS’s view is that the study of the classics from the beginning of a person’s education, will help in several ways:

v      It could be used as a tool for improvement of human life.

v      It can play an educational role in the study of the following:

 Law and Economic Sciences.  As strange as it might appear, in Thucydides we find a lot of ideas and methods and we are taught to handle situations like those faced by modern enterprises. Demosthenes, Lysias, Isokratis and many others will be exceptionally useful for the young students of the legal sciences. We cannot ignore the classics of the Roman period.

 Political Sciences.  Political thought was given birth during the Homeric years and was developed in the Classic years. The study of poets from Homer to Aristophanes is a most excellent guide. The democratic system was a product of political dialogue and shaped from Homer to the time of Alexander the Great.

 Mathematics and Practical Sciences.  From Thales and Pythagoras to Heronas and Archimedes and all those in between that have formulated the basic and fundamental stages upon which the current scientists develop their theories as well as applying them in practice.

 Arts.  The study of expressions of art during the classical period does not only cause admiration for the perfection of technique, but to us, it confirms that the craftsmen of that era were well versed in mathematics and science; the same observation can be made for poets and writers. The great productivity of Modern Greek artists is a testament to the genius that is reflected in the classical period.

 Medicine.  Hippocrates and Galinos gave emphasis to prevention which, perhaps, will be helpful today as the medical profession takes a holistic approach to health care. Visiting the museum of ancient Epidaurus (where the famous Sanctuary of Asklepios is also located), the visitor will be surprised to see the collection of medical tools that are not too different from those used today. One of GCS’s emphasis will be the support of contemporary medical research with lecture, scholarships and publications. 

 Conclusion.  We can ignore the past at our own peril. The web pages that follow will be an electronic paideia. To acquaint people with the classics is not a return to the past, but rather provides a guiding chart for determining our lives. The Ancient Greeks were unique in that they viewed the world through the prism of reason. The Hellenic ideals of justice, liberty, and human dignity formulated by the ancients remains the basis of Western Civilization, just as their theatre, both tragic and comic, continues to touch the pulse of human experience.