Prof. celebrates democracy's birth

To celebrate the birth of democracy in Greece 2500 years ago, over 30 students gathered at Vance Hall last week for a lecture by Classical Studies Department Chairperson Matthew Santirocco. In his hour-long speech, Santirocco discussed the sources of democracy and compared the American and ancient Greek democratic systems. He began by discussing the various areas of difference between the two systems. "American Democracy is representative government and not a direct government," Santirocco said. Santirocco also discussed other differences between the two nations in areas such as branches of government, elections, court systems, and military service. "Democracy was imperialistic," he said. "It was like the media today. Orators could inflame and manipulate people." Santirocco then addressed the issues of checks and balances, majority rule and the relationship between church and state in ancient Greece and America. Following the speech, Santirocco fielded a variety of questions from the audience on topics ranging from historical facts to modern democracy. "We are the heirs of Greece through Roman experience and Greek and Roman political theory," Santirocco said, responding to a question about the relationship between American and ancient Greek democracy. Many audience members approached the Classical Studies professor after the speech to ask him additional questions. Most of the students at the speech said they found it very enlightening. "It was very interesting," said Wharton junior Kyriakos Georgiades. While Wharton sophmore Marios Koufaris said he also enjoyed the speech, he said he wished Santirocco had compared the two systems more closely. "He could have concentrated more on the contrasts," he said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.