‘It’s all Greek to me’ is an expression we use when trying to say something that is not understandable. Many of us feel that way about the word ‘thesis’ – which has many, often conflicting, meanings. Small wonder then, that the origins of the word ‘thesis’ is found in the Greek language. It means to ‘put something forth’ or ‘make a proposition’, usually in an academic context. The word has its roots in the development of higher education in Athens, Greece, around 420 BCE (before common era).
Traditionally, education in Greece was familial, gendered and age-related. Fathers educated sons, mothers educated daughters, and older slaves educated younger slaves. More formal education began (for boys at least, females and slaves were excluded) in classical Athens around 500 BCE. It consisted of two parts. The first part is ‘gumnastike’ (physical education, strength, stamina, preparation for war) which took place in a ‘gymnasium’) and the second, ‘mousike’ (music, dance, lyrics, poetry). Students learned in a semi-structured way. For example, they would write by etching onto a wax-covered board, read through learning to memorise and recite poetry, and learn about legends such as Hesiod and Homer. Once a child reached adolescence, their formal education ended.
In contrast to the Athenians, military dominance was of greater importance to the Spartans. They structured their educational system as an extreme form of military boot camp, which they referred to as ‘agoge’. To them, the pursuit of intellectual knowledge was trivial, and academic learning, such as reading and writing, was kept to a minimum. A Spartan boy’s life was, instead, devoted almost entirely to his military school with the purpose of forming an almost indestructible Spartan soldier.
Over time the Athenian way became more popular. Society began to hold intellectual capacity with higher regard than physical Athens quickly became a global centre for the arts, learning and philosophy. Philosophers such as Socrates and the sophistic movement attracted to an influx of foreign scholars, teachers and their ‘higher education’ led to a growth of the equivalent of secondary and post-secondary schools. More focused fields of study included mathematics, astronomy, harmonics and dialect – all with an emphasis on the development of a student’s philosophical insight. It was necessary that individuals possessed the ability to take knowledge in a field and apply it towards an understanding based on logic and reason.
What has all of this to do with the word thesis? One of Socrates’ pupils, Plato, established the Academy (circa 387 BCE) which is often credited as the first University in the world. Plato prescribed a rigorous education a student must go through to attain true virtue, and thus understand reality for what it is. It included an elementary education in music, and poetry; physical training; three years of mandatory military training; ten years of mathematical science; five years of dialectic training; and fifteen years of practical political training. The few individuals who reach this upper level would, he claimed, become philosopher- kings, leaders of Plato’s ideal Republic, and even the world! A final step in their higher education involved scholars proving their worth by putting forward their thesis. This was a presentation, or document, submitted in support of candidature for one of these positions in the new world order.
Although the style and format of a modern thesis or dissertation is somewhat different to those of early Greek schools, modern theses generally retain similar elements. For example, writings by other, earlier authors are examined (the literature review); a thesis is proposed (today we have research aims, objectives, questions and hypotheses); structured ‘observations’ are offered (nowadays, research methodology and methods) and analysed (today referred to as data analysis); to produce findings and conclusions (proof of the thesis). Thanks to Plato and the ancient Greek education systems, we have the thesis. A ‘test’ of a scholar’s beliefs that is still widely in use in institutes of higher education today to assess a student’s suitability to become a leader in their community.
As a modern-day researcher, you do not need to study ancient Greek civilisation to find out how to go about Doing Your Thesis. You just need to click here for practical guidance!
