Spartan Society was quite strange, with many odd and harsh practices and traditions. Young boys, starting at the age of 7, were shipped off to a military training academy. They were then exposed to rigorous preparation for the army and difficult living conditions. They were forced to eat disgusting and unclean food and taught to kill Helots. The practice of murder was ingrained in them from an early age, and thought acceptable and normal. Upon becoming men, they were allowed to marry but couldn't visit their wives, unless they could get past many guards! They could not marry until they were 30. If they did, they had to live separate from their wives until they completed their training. Men and boys were forced to commit to the Spartan army for life. The ritual of flogging was thought to be a measure of their resilience to pain, a test to see how much they could take.
As for the women, they were also forced to master many different skills, like dancing,javelin throwing, gymnastics. Supposedly, the Spartans believed these things would prepare them for the physically demanding duties of motherhood. Spartan nannies exercised some very cruel methods in child-rearing. There is a myth that they bathed children in wine rather than water, and left them to cry and fend for themselves. This reinforced, at a young age, that even the infants had to learn to be strong and tough.
Marriage was only valuable, in this culture, because it would produce more soldiers. Bachelors were mocked publicly at ceremonies and considered outcasts. If a girl couldn't get pregnant, her husband was expected to find a substitute so she could bear a son. Romantic love was not of any significance in the scheme of finding a mate.
Second Topic: Why was Aristotle A Significant Figure?
Aristotle was a very influential philosopher, although considered less popular than his teacher, Plato. He made noteworthy contributions in pretty much every area of knowledge(logic to biology, ethics to aesthetics) He studied at Plato's academy for 20 years. Although his beliefs differed from Plato's, he still had a great deal of respect for this infamous man. He studied marine biology and also tutored King Phillip II's son, the future Alexander the Great! Aristotle believed that our purpose in life was the pursuit of happiness, or "euphoria". This he said could only be achieved through reason. Contrary to tradition, he thought we needed to discover things on our own in the world. We couldn't just depend on the all-knowing power and wisdom of the gods. He also invented the first system of classification.
The first system of classification of what??
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