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oa Heb je nog iets op je lever?
Het antieke Griekenland als onzekerheidsmaatschappij
- Amsterdam University Press
- Source: Tijdschrift voor Geschiedenis, Volume 128, Issue 2, Apr 2015, p. 185 - 200
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Abstract
Anything on your mind? Ancient Greece as an uncertainty society
This article outlines a number of issues specific to uncertainty management in the ancient Greek world (c. 800 BC – c. 150 BC) and the modern Western world – and juxtaposes the two where suitable, illuminating a number of aspects peculiar to Greek divination. The ancient Greek turned towards his gods for qualitative data: perceived signs from the supernatural. These signs were sought on both private and public matters; they were then interpreted in order to obtain information. The individual had to take these interpretations seriously. The ancient Greeks lived in an uncertainty society – or perhaps even in a divination society. Divination was a culturally specific way to reduce uncertainty and allowed individuals to analyze and, where possible, manage or direct their own future.