Why This Place Matters

Transcript

The importance of the Pnyx lies in the belief behind it. The Athenians believed that the affairs of the city should not belong only to kings, priests or powerful families. They believed that ordinary citizens were capable of more than obedience. They could think, judge, speak, be persuaded, change their minds and share responsibility for the future of their city. This faith in human ability shaped ancient Greece. The Greeks asked whether nature could be understood through reason. They asked what justice is, what courage is, what makes a good life and how people should live together. They invented philosophy. They created tragedy, comedy and history. And they argued openly about their own ideas, leaders and way of life. The Athenians did not simply praise democracy. They questioned it, criticised it and even laughed at it. Yet for generations they kept returning to the radical claim at its heart: That citizens could govern themselves. Here, on the Pnyx, that claim became a living practice. And it still challenges us. How much do we truly believe in the ability of human beings to understand, to judge and to take responsibility for the world they share?