Greco-Roman Peoples React To Modern World

Due to their vital importance in our technology-driven lives and chasmic knowledge gap over them, I wonder what Greco-Romans would make of contemporary developments in math and science? They already have a concept of math, albeit in a primitive and far less comprehensive sense than we do. Modern science, however, seems like it'd be a foreign concept to most downtimers, though its basis of consistent universal laws--and, just as importantly, our ability for us to methodically deduce, test, and draw conclusions from those laws--would amount to some combination of instructive and bewildering.

The Map of Mathematics


The Map of Physics


The Map of Chemistry


There's plenty more where those came from, for those interesting in watching more.

Actually, now that I mention it, I can imagine Greco-Romans being curious about what we'd consider to be futuristic concepts. We already live in a big and magical world of plenty and instant gratification, yet we also yearn for more, and are hopeful those desires will be met sometime down the line. Perhaps more of Isaac Arthur's videos can help answer those questions--and in ways that soft sci-fi can't do as effectively, no less!

Interstellar Trade & Cyclers


Life Extension


Post Scarcity Civilizations


Also, as long as we're talking about uptimer conceptions of futurism and continuous advancement, I wonder what Greco-Romans would think of aliens? This is something Isaac Arthur has also commented on, though less science-invested downtimers would be bombarded with stereotypes of little green men and flying saucers (which are limiting and likely unrealistic, but whatever).

Whoops! Apologies, here's the corresponding video below. Sorry about that.

Life Extension


On a separate note, as long as I'm posting, something else that occurred to me is what Greco-Roman audiences would think of all the "lessons" we've learned from history? Or, in many cases, have yet to fully hang onto and are constantly forced to re-learn them, courtesy of human stupidity winning out every few generations. 

For those who experienced the Fall of the Roman Republic, or have even read about it decades and centuries after it all played out, I can imagine them being miffed at how more contemporary elites also weren't smart enough to concede something to the common people, before their capitals were stormed and their bodies went cold way way earlier than their natural lifespan, thanks to "the rabble" having finally had enough. The French Revolution, and the Russian Revolution even more so, spring to mind right about now. I know less about the former, but as far as the latter goes, I wonder if a few Greco-Romans might draw comparisons with Caesar and Lenin, not to mention the bloody and ferocious context surrounding both leaders' ultimate rise to power? They may not be perfectly analogous, but a few downtimers are likely to argue otherwise, given statistical probability and whatnot.

The French Revolution: Crash Course World History #29


Russian Revolution and Civil War: Crash Course European History #35

Since humanity stretches back to long before Greco-Roman civilization emerged, I wonder what they'd think of works chronicling tens and hundreds of thousands of years of history? Archeology not really being a thing for them, I imagine that all the methods and techniques scientists use to dredge up this information and cook up their theories would intrigue many a befuddled downtimer.

The History of the World: Every Year

Perhaps, though I wonder if more sensible religious elements might adopt a more “contextualist” approach to explaining their myths. That is, by treating them as allegories or sensationalist ways of telling an important story, while nonetheless believing that their gods are real and active in the world.

Other, less reasonable ones may just deny it all and blather about how their gods placed all those fossils and artifacts everywhere to “test” their creations’ faith. Which is rather like how modern fundamentalists tend to think, even if the exact precepts they believe in are at odds with that of diehard Evangelicals or what have you.

They're probably not the only ones to have experienced this, but I wonder how veterans of the Battle of Teutoburg Forest would relate to modern Vietnam War or Soviet-Afghan War veterans? I was once told, back on AH.com, that Greco-Romans would find America's withdrawal from Indochina "cowardly", but given how they can also relate to unconventional guerillas who subvert conventional firepower and demoralize the troops sent to march in, maybe they'd be less condemnatory than one might think.

That, and for as many luxuries as American soldiers enjoyed that the Romans never could've imagined having, they also had to contend with IEDs, fast-paced modern warfare, and nonstop combat that offered even fewer breathers than their WW2 vet dads got. Not to mention the nasty array of wonder-weapons--flamethrowers, napalm, Agent Orange, and 'round the clock bombing campaigns--that bring their own brand of shock value into play.

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965 - 68)


Operation Linebacker II - The B-52s go to Hanoi, 1972 - Animated


The countries caught in the crossfire also have to contend with psychological scars and lots of unexploded bombs that still kill and maim innocent people to this day, so there's that.