Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were their epic men.
Crete, Mycenaean and Minoans were their seeds.
Egypt and Babylon were recognized but underrated.
Russel declared with pride accompanied with surprise the sudden rise of civilization in Greece.
Sir Arthur Evan, the archaeologist, is the force, authority, testimony and validity behind that claim.
The inheritance, like the origin of Virgin Mary, writing and mathematics are recognized but imperiousness of a claimant who does not suggest but emphatically tell that it is he who is right.
Even Collingwood depicts similar attitude. I quote,
“By what steps and stages did modern European idea of history come into existence? Since I (Collingwood here) do not think that any of these stages occurred outside Mediterranean region ... I am precluded from saying anything about about historical thought in China or in any other part of the world except the region I have mentioned.”
Russel is surprised. Collingwood is precluded. The forces outside them decide that they adopt the premises that the counting begins and the action germinates from Mediterranean region.
The English intellectuals of later nineteenth century are mainly the soldiers who fought positivism which had emerged by eighteenth century. Nature became a subject of invasion when they raised the army of positivism fighting the positivism. After all, how could they see the defeat of Christian theology? However, Nature yielded them the thoughts but there were thoughts before that also. The conflict was resolved by criticizing positivism outwardly but at inner side, they remained the soldiers of positivism. That positivism made them fight two wars. The two wars defeated positivism. They again went back to eighteenth century. The next stage has yet to come. Will they now seek surprises outside the Mediterranean Region.
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