An idiot in Athenian democracy was someone who was characterized by self-centeredness and concerned almost exclusively with private—as opposed to public—affairs.[6] Idiocy was the natural state of ignorance into which all persons were born and its opposite, citizenship, was effected through formalized education.[6] In Athenian democracy, idiots were born and citizens were made through education (although citizenship was also largely hereditary). Idiot originally referred to layman, person lacking professional skill, person so mentally deficient as to be incapable of ordinary reasoning. Declining to take part in public life, such as democratic government of the polis (city state), was considered dishonorable. Idiots were seen as having bad judgment in public and political matters. Over time, the term idiot shifted away from its original connotation of selfishness and came to refer to individuals with overall bad judgment–individuals who are stupid. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot
Posted on: Sat, 29 Nov 2014 23:50:49 +0000
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