General Introduction

Summary

In a ringing monologue of the Prometheus Bound attributed to Aeschylus, the shattered hero inventories his gifts to humankind: architecture, astronomy, mathematics, writing, domestication of animals, seafaring, medicine, metallurgy, divination. The modern lay reader will be startled that a list of clearly technical practices (tékhnai [τέχναι]) should not only include divination (mantikḗ [μαντική]) but in a sense climax with it, giving it pride of place by devoting nearly as much space to its elaboration as to all the others combined. A different ontological mindset, but not entirely so. An elemental characteristic of civilized humanity is the abiding need for assurance in a world of uncertainty and chanciness that ever defies our drive to tame it to our will. We rely – some more, some less – on our weather forecasts, our investment advisors, our odds-makers, our guidance counselors, our DNA tests, and in lighthearted moments, our horoscopes and fortune cookies. Moreover, cognitive science assures us that humanity harbors an innate tendency toward “hyperactive agency detection” (see , below), a hardwired predisposition to identify a hidden agent, often an intelligent personal agent, where none is apparent. From our modern perspective this tendency seems more pronounced in ancient societies. That is an assessment that may require reexamination.