Quote Originally Posted by gkathellar View Post
Logic is only a means of proceeding from your utility function to a desired end point. Certainly, from the perspective of cultural survival, the obsession ancient Greeks had with personal greatness and bravado seems kind of dumb. But from the perspective of being proper, manly Greek men of their time, their behavior was perfectly logical.
Alright, if we want to be technical. Outside cultural biases many customs of the Greeks did not hold strategic or tactical value. While it made sense for a Greek leader to stand at the front lines in order to gain respect and honor for themselves such a standard can be harmful for the military success of an army. This does not mean they're stupid, but breaking down a military tradition with current knowledge will show they most if not all cultures did not run completely on practicality and total efficiency.