We can also see clear similarities in modes of thought across the Indo-
European cultures. A typical likeness is the way the world is seen as being the
subject of a drama in which the forces of Good and Evil confront each other in
a relentless struggle. Indo-Europeans have therefore often tried to “predict”
how the battles between Good and Evil will turn out.
One could say with some truth that it was no accident that Greek
philosophy originated in the Indo-European sphere of culture. Indian, Greek,
and Norse mythology all have obvious leanings toward a philosophic, or
“speculative,” view of the world.
The Indo-Europeans sought “insight” into the history of the world. We
can even trace a particular word for “insight” or “knowledge” from one culture
to another all over the Indo-European world. In Sanskrit it is vidya. The word
is identical to the Greek word idea, which was so important in Plato’s
philosophy. From Latin, we have the word video, but on Roman ground the
word simply means to see. For us, “I see” can mean “I understand,” and in the
cartoons, a light bulb can flash on above Woody Woodpecker’s head when he
gets a bright idea. (Not until our own day did “seeing” become synonymous
with staring at the TV screen.) In English we know the words wise and
wisdom—in German, wissen (to know). Norwegian has the word viten, which
has the same root as the Indian word vidya, the Greek idea, and the Latin
video.
All in all, we can establish that sight was the most important of the
senses for Indo-Europeans. The literature of Indians, Greeks, Persians, and
Teutons alike was characterized by great cosmic visions. (There is that word
again: “vision” comes from the Latin verb “video.”} It was also characteristic
for Indo-European culture to make pictures and sculptures of the gods and of
mythical events.
Lastly, the Indo-Europeans had a cyc//c view of history. This is the belief
that history goes in circles, just like the seasons of the year. There is thus no
beginning and no end to history, but there are different civilizations that rise
and fall in an eternal interplay between birth and death.
Both of the two great Oriental religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, are
Indo-European in origin. So is Greek philosophy, and we can see a number of
clear parallels between Hinduism and Buddhism on the one hand and Greek
philosophy on the other. Even today, Hinduism and Buddhism are strongly
imbued with philosophical reflection.
Not infrequently we find in Hinduism and Buddhism an emphasis on the
fact that the deity is present in all things (pantheism) and that man can
become one with God through religious insight. (Remember Plotinus,
Sophie?) To achieve this requires the practice of deep self-communion or
meditation. Therefore in the Orient, passivity and seclusion can be religious
ideals. In ancient Greece, too, there were many people who believed in an
ascetic, or religiously secluded, way of life for the salvation of the soul Many
aspects of medieval monastic life can be traced back to beliefs dating from
the Greco-Roman civilization.
Similarly, the transmigration of the soul, or the cycle of rebirth, is a
fundamental belief in many Indo-European cultures. For more than 2,500
years, the ultimate purpose of life for every Indian has been the release from
the cycle of rebirth. Plato also believed in the transmigration of the soul.