How to bridge the gap between rationalism and religion in modern democratic countries?

In modern democratic countries, the gap between rationalism and religion can be bridged by universal education.

In modern democratic countries, the gap between rationalism and religion can be bridged by universal education. Athens lacked national education, and family education was weakened in wartime, especially in morality. All citizens are literate. They take literacy enlightenment classes at home or in private schools, but only wealthy families can provide the kind of higher education taught by wise men. But all citizens are influenced by the new trend of thought. They heard it in euripides's plays, in the defense against Fen, or in gorgias's speech, and they talked about it with curiosity and competition in a crowded city. Due to the increase in demand, the sales of books are also booming. In 405 BC, aristophanes firmly believed that his audience was familiar with the latest popular works.

Their memory is also highly developed by participating in the selection of dramas, electing administrative officials and listening to prisons. The captured Athenians entertained their master in Sicily by reciting large passages of euripides's tragedy. However, wit cannot replace universal education, especially in such a period when ancient religious beliefs adapt to new secular concepts. As a result, hostility arose, and it intensified under the fear of plague, failure and revolution.

The most dangerous thing is that politicians take advantage of this hostility. Those more primitive beliefs are believed by citizens of the poor class, and their material and political interests are protected by democratic governments and politicians. Most of the advocates of the new trend of thought among Athenians are rich young people, who are proud of their noble origins and knowledge. Because of their pride, what they want politically is not democracy but oligarchy.

If there is a second great politician like Pericles, maybe these two factions can get together, be loyal to the country and accommodate each other. Nicias is an outstanding figure belonging to Pericles. He lacks the wisdom and skills to lead these young optimizers and the ability and prestige to inspire everyone. Pericles's political successors, like Cleon and later Cleofen, are another type. Their speeches are full of passion, but not serious or clever enough. They mainly appeal to the more primitive feelings and beliefs of the poor class they come from.

Aristophanes said that Cleon's road to power was paved by the Oracle, and there was some truth in this joke. In fact, selling Oracle Bone Inscriptions quickly became an indispensable skill. Nicias boasted about his love for Oracle and divination. He has his own fortune teller and attributes his military victory to the lucky star. Jacob also used fortune tellers to overthrow the opinions recognized by the city-states and publicize his own ideas.

Cleon used the Oracle as part of his political plan to oppose the new trend of thought and vilify his political opponents. He himself denounced euripides for "unbelief" (probably in 426 BC), and his assistant may have encouraged women to hold demonstrations against euripides in TisMurphy. At that time, euripides was the representative figure who opposed the belief in divinity among the Athenians, while his friends, atheist philosophers Diagoras and Prota Golas were foreigners. In the years after the plague, aristophanes laughed at the representatives of both sides. He laughed at both democratic demagogues such as Cleon and Ocratis, and thinkers such as euripides and Socrates.

When the Athens Expeditionary Force set out for Sicily, a huge crisis broke out. At that time, Yakibid became a concentrated expression of everything that extreme Democrats hated. He was a young optimates who became a democratic demagogue. In the use of mass speeches, selling Oracle Bone Inscriptions, and engaging in Tao exile, these incitement techniques are more fluent and accurate; He may be the kind of politician who combines democracy with enlightenment.

However, he has a "braid" that can be used by political opponents on a fatal key issue, because he is a student of Socrates and has been noticed for parodying secret religion. The destruction of the statue of Hermes gave the ultra-Democrats a chance. They claim that this blasphemy is an ominous sign for the expedition, and the criminals are among those who are dissatisfied with religion and democracy and want to establish oligarchy and tyrant rule through violence. They named Yakibid, and he was finally sentenced to death for "unfilial".

Diagoras, an "atheist", was also accused of the same crime. He escaped, his book was burned in public, and someone offered a reward for his head. Many important people were arrested and killed. Prota Golas may also escape at this time. The reward for this search for heresy was a coup in 4 1 1 BC. The super oligarchs who staged the coup were all learned people, many of whom were friends of Socrates, and they retaliated against democratic demagogues.

After the restoration of democracy, euripides moved to Macedonia. His first act in 407 BC was to declare any blasphemy in the past invalid and personally escort the parade of Ulysses. However, the day he returned to China was regarded as an unlucky day by diviners, and his political opponents immediately thought that he was bound to fall and eventually overthrew him. In 405 BC, aristophanes advised the Athenians to use the gentle language of Archimedes, the lion.

Therefore, in the dark days of war, cracks became an abyss. Extremists on one side claimed to be intellectual leaders and seized power through a coup. On the other hand, extremists make signs under the banner of democratic politics and take advantage of people's superstitions and fears. Both sides are bluffing. True enlightened thinking and true democratic spirit should be adherence to principles, generosity and gentleness, which have been wiped out in the violent environment of war and the whirlpool of factional disputes. Unless a bridge can be built on this abyss when peace comes, democracy and enlightenment will go their separate ways forever, and the polis will never become the center of rationality and democratic progress under Pericles again.