--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the Greeks, Western man has…" description: "\"Since the Greeks, Western man has believed that Being, all Being, is intelligible, that there is a reason for everythingand that the cosmos is, finally..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/william-barrett-14440_accepted_since-the-greeks-western-man-has-believe_2458091.jpg" --- # Since the Greeks, Western man has believed that Being, all… ![“Since the Greeks, Western man has believed that Being, all Being, is intelligible, that there is a reason for everythingand that the cosmos is, finally, intelligible. The Oriental, on the other hand, has accepted his existence within a universe that would appear to be meaningless, to the rational…” quote by William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/william-barrett-14440_accepted_since-the-greeks-western-man-has-believe_2458091.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/william-barrett-14440_accepted_since-the-greeks-western-man-has-believe_2458091.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/943/william-barrett-14440_accepted_since-the-greeks-western-man-has-believe_2458091.jpg) > “Since the Greeks, Western man has believed that Being, all Being, is intelligible, that there is a reason for everythingand that the cosmos is, finally, intelligible. The Oriental, on the other hand, has accepted his existence within a universe that would appear to be meaningless, to the rational Western mind, and has lived with this meaninglessness. Hence the artistic form that seems natural to the Oriental is one that is just as formless or formal, as irrational, as life itself.” [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage contrasts Western belief in a rational, intelligible cosmos with Eastern acceptance of apparent meaninglessness, influencing artistic expression. **In simple terms:** West sees order; East sees chaos; both shape art. Key Takeaway Appreciate cultural perspectives on meaning and creativity. Themes philosophy culture art meaning existentialism Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - cross‑cultural art - creative practice - philosophical debate - literary analysis Key Concepts comparative philosophy aesthetics Questions to Reflect On - How does cultural worldview shape your creative work? - Can you find value in both order and chaos? A Different Perspective One view may not fully explain human experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/) [Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artistic/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Formal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal/) [Greek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greek/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Intelligible Oriental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligible-oriental-626731/) [Irrational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irrational/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Meaningless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningless/) [Meaningless Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningless-rational-626734/) [Meaninglessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaninglessness/) [Meaninglessness Artistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaninglessness-artistic-626733/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Natural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural/) [Natural Oriental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-oriental-626732/) [Oriental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oriental/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Western](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/western/) ## Related quotes > [“What emerges from these separate strands of (modern) history is an image of man himself that bears a new, stark, more nearly naked, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/what-emerges-from-these-separate-strands-of-modern-history-is-an/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [“The more severely he struggles to hold on to the primal face-to-face relation with God, the more tenuous this becomes, until in the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/the-more-severely-he-struggles-to-hold-on-to-the-primal-face-to-face/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [“A society coming apart at top and bottom, or passing over into another form, contains just as many possibilities for revelation as a society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barrett/a-society-coming-apart-at-top-and-bottom-or-passing-over-into-another/) [William Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barrett/) > [“This capacity for living easily and familiarly at an extraordinary level of abstraction is the source of modern man's power. 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They can even do my feet without tickling me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/in-london-i-really-like-going-to-the-mandarin-oriental-they-can-even/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [Faulkner was almost oriental. I never got into Faulkner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-t-hall/faulkner-was-almost-oriental-i-never-got-into-faulkner/) [Tom T. 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