The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was KEEP. well-noted practice; article simply needs more citations and references. --Madchester 07:23, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

On a point of order/Comment - the book review is of a work by a man with academic credentials in the area, which implies at the very least that what's contained in the work under review is credible. The lack of "the other side of the argument" is not a reason to delete so much as it is a reason to expand the article with sources and information from the books which have been published arguing this other side. BigHaz 09:30, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
There was an edit on this page arguing the other side which repeatedly got omitted because the link was considered an uncredible source. The uncredible source was a book review of the book entitled "Debunking the Myth of Homosexuality in Ancient Greece", It was also written by a man with academic credentials and showed what was in the book but was deleted. It seems as if, even if someone wanted, could not edit this article to argue the other side.--Cretanpride 09:34, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I'd contend that the reason that particular citation was removed was due to its placement, more than its content. Further, Adonis Georgiades doesn't exactly leap out as a man with academic credentials beyond those perhaps in the teaching of language. William Percy, on the other hand (the man whose book review we're talking about) is a Senior Professor of History with a wide range of academic publications. Not necessarily a case that "my professor trumps your professor", but it might come close. BigHaz 09:44, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
It was more likely removed because the book is vanity-published and the review is right-wing partisan bullshit. Gazpacho 17:10, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
That may also be the case. I was giving the author of the book the benefit of the doubt (not to mention giving my historiographical radar the night off). That said, certainly the most recent removal of the link doesn't say anything about either reason. BigHaz 22:19, 7 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Well said. -Smahoney 05:56, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Yes. Well put. Perhaps in cases like this there should be a way to designate a page as a "protected keep", To be designated as a "protected keep" a page must garner an overwhelming consensus for being a keep, and would get a tag on the talk page that said "This page recieved an overwhelming consensus of opinion that it should not be deleted at this discusion at AFD. Please don't waste everyone's time nominating it again."
That would be nice. However, there are actually legit reasons for renomination sometimes. Maybe it should become standard to put a tag on the talk page saying "this page was nominated for deletion on this day. Unless there have been substantial changes, etc., etc., please do not renominate until this other day." -Smahoney 06:18, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I think there are serious problems with society if this material is taught in universities. Not everyone believes that it's true. Plato's work is not evidence and even if it was, that is one man, not an entire culture. I read that out of all the vases found, which is in the hundreds of thousands, only 30 have a homosexual theme. That is not enough evidence to support what this article is saying. If it is kept it needs a serious rewrite and possibly a different title and has to include a section about how this is debated.--66.233.19.170 07:57, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Problems with society how? That people don't outright reject possible evidence of things simply because some (mainly religious) people might be offended by it? And what would be a more appropriate title for an article about "Homosexuality in ancient Greece" than exactly that? -- Consumed Crustacean | Talk | 08:00, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
I was in fact taught it by a Greek-Australian, but that's rather beside the point. The discussion here (as I explain in response to the large number of quotations) is not the place to "prove" that something is true or false. It's the place to talk about whether or not the article should be here. Given that the academic orthodoxy is that the information contained in the article is true, it belongs here. As for the contention that "false material does not belong in an encyclopedia", I would contend that it in fact does under two conditions. Firstly, it must be marked as being false (so an encyclopedia can talk about the idea that the sun revolves around the earth as long as it indicates that nobody in their right mind believes this now). Secondly, this marking of something much be done based on evidence. If there is evidence and scholarly opinion that Greek culture was not as this article says it was, then put it into the article. Don't post it here, because that's the wrong place. Don't try to get the article deleted, either. Write the information into the article. BigHaz 08:46, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  • These were posted on the talk page on the article by an anonymous user but noone responded to them=

Plato, Euthydemus 282b there is no disgrace, Cleinias, or reprobation in making this a reason for serving and being a slave to either one's lover or any man, and being ready to perform any service that is honorable in one's eagerness to become wise.

Platos Symposium,

it is our rule that, just as in the case of the lovers it was counted no flattery or scandal for them to be willingly and utterly enslaved to their favorites, so there is left one sort of voluntary thraldom which is not scandalous; I mean, in the cause of virtue. It is our settled tradition that when a man freely devotes his service to another in the belief that his friend will make him better in point of wisdom, it may be, or in any of the other parts of virtue, this willing bondage also is no sort of baseness or flattery. Let us compare the two rules 184b

Xenophon Symposium 8.8 [8]Now, I have always felt an admiration for your character, but at the present time I feel a much keener one, for I see that you are in love with a person who is not marked by dainty elegance nor wanton effeminacy, but shows to the world physical strength and stamina, virile courage and sobriety. Setting one's heart on such traits gives an insight into the lover's character.

If we continue: Xenophon Symposium [26] Furthermore, the favourite who realizes that he who lavishes physical charms will be the lover's sovereign will in all likelihood be loose in his general conduct; but the one who feels that he cannot keep his lover faithful without nobility of character will more probably give heed to virtue. [27] But the greatest blessing that befalls the man who yearns to render his favourite a good friend is the necessity of himself making virtue his habitual practice. For one cannot produce goodness in his companion while his own conduct is evil, nor can he himself exhibit shamelessness and incontinence and at the same time render his beloved self-controlled and reverent"

Plato's Republic 403b "may not come nigh, nor may lover and beloved who rightly love and are loved have anything to do with it? No, by heaven, Socrates, he said, it must not come nigh them. Thus, then, as it seems, you will lay down the law in the city that we are founding, that the lover may kiss1 and pass the time with and touch the beloved as a father would a son, for honorable ends, if he persuade him."

All of these texts give a meaning of obtaining knowledge and virtue, none of them refer to anything sexual as you can see.--66.233.19.170 08:30, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

All fine and dandy (although bear in mind that we're talking about translations here, rather than the original Greek of Plato, Xenophon et al. Nonetheless, AfD is emphatically not a place to carry on a discussion about the "other side of a debate" in relation to an article which currently exists. The object here is to talk about whether or not the article itself should continue to exist - and a failure to encompass the "no" case in this situation isn't a reason to delete so much as a reason to add such a case to the article. If the article is indeed kept, these quotations, any analysis performed on them by scholars and any conclusions they reach will be handy talking points for expansion of the article. Putting them here merely gums up the works. BigHaz 08:46, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Even if I do add a section on the article it will likely be deleted. --66.233.19.170 08:56, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
You may have slightly misinterpreted what I was saying. The idea is to find academic sources (historians, linguists, classicists, younameitists) who interpret the passages you've quoted in the way that you just did. Just sticking those quotes in as "proof" isn't going to get you very far and almost certainly will get the section deleted. The reason that this is the "academic consensus" about Ancient Greece is that a bunch of academics subscribe to it are are indicated as doing as much in the article. If you can find one who says otherwise, I'm sure we're all ears (or eyes, in this case). BigHaz 09:00, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Those quotes are proof. They come from the primary source. How would you interpret them? I feel that they have absolutely no homosexual meaning.--66.233.19.170 09:24, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
And therein lies the problem. Firstly, the quotes may well come from the primary source, but we're dealing in translations here. I don't speak a word of Ancient Greek, although you may well and simply not have revealed it, so we're actually hostage to what the scholars who do speak it tell us. As far as "how I would interpret them" (or indeed how you would interpret them), that's not actually the point. Wikipedia isn't a publisher of original analysis, but rather a synthesis of a series of analyses, which is what makes it an encyclopedia. The article currently has sources indicating that 4 learned scholars interpret things in a particular way, so that's what we're saying is the case. If you can find a learned scholar who interprets it a different way, then insert his interpretation. I'd also point out that the quotes you've posted are only the absolute tip of the iceberg where the writings of the Ancient Greeks were concerned, so it's not a great idea to base an opinion on that much evidence. BigHaz 09:31, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Based on past experience you probably wont, but if you want to understand why your plan wont work, check out WP:NOR, Wikipedia:Common knowledge, Wikipedia:Cite your sources, and Wikipedia:Reliable sources. -Smahoney 13:15, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
"There is no mention of homosexuality in Greek literature." WHAT?! Have you not read Lucian's story of the moon people? Or read ANYTHING about the Spartans? Sacred band of Thebes, Plato's records of Socrates being into young boys, and the whole Zeus and Ganymede thing, how could you possibly say that? Go here, and learn. ΡΑΘΟΣ ΜΑΘΟΣ. Dev920 14:12, 8 August 2006 (UTC) [1][reply]
Your source also says that the ancient Greeks did not have a term for homosexuality so how could Plato have been quoted to say that. Everything is misinterpreted to support the theory. Its quite sad how history has been defaced.--66.53.98.122 19:28, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
Heh, there was an edit conflict, but I was about to point out how weird it is that so many delete votes are coming from IP addresses that start with 66 (also, how many similar edits were made to the article by IP addresses that start with 66). -Smahoney 01:23, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]


What are we wasting time on this person for? Dev920 11:44, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The whole article is disputed. If you go to Greece and you tell people this they will be violently upset. There is no evidence to suggest the article is true. Everything used for evidence from literature has ambiguous meanings. In other word nothing in the article is proven. None of you are open minded or skepticalCretanpride 07:20, 10 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.