Editing Mesopotamia (section)

===Philosophy===

The numerous civilizations of the area influenced the [[Abrahamic religions]], especially the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Its cultural values and literary influence are especially evident in the [[Book of Genesis]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bertman |first1=Stephen |title=Handbook to life in ancient Mesopotamia |date=2005 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-518364-1 |edition=Paperback |location=Oxford [u.a.], England |page=312}}</ref>

[[Giorgio Buccellati]] believes that the origins of [[philosophy]] can be traced back to early Mesopotamian [[wisdom]], which embodied certain philosophies of life, particularly [[ethics]], in the forms of [[dialectic]], [[dialogue]]s, [[epic poetry]], [[folklore]], [[hymn]]s, [[lyrics]], [[prose]] works, and [[proverb]]s. Babylonian [[reason]] and [[rationality]] developed beyond [[empiricism|empirical]] observation.<ref>Giorgio Buccellati (1981), "Wisdom and Not: The Case of Mesopotamia", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' '''101''' (1), pp. 35–47.</ref>

Babylonian thought was also based on an [[Open system (systems theory)|open-systems]] [[ontology]] which is compatible with [[ergodic]] axioms.<ref name=Sheila/> Logic was employed to some extent in [[Babylonian astronomy]] and medicine.

Babylonian thought had a considerable influence on early [[Ancient Greek philosophy|Ancient Greek]] and [[Hellenistic philosophy]]. In particular, the Babylonian text ''[[Dialogue of Pessimism]]'' contains similarities to the agonistic thought of the [[Sophist]]s, the [[Heraclitean]] doctrine of [[dialectic]], and the dialogs of [[Plato]], as well as a precursor to the [[Socratic method]].<ref>Giorgio Buccellati (1981), "Wisdom and Not: The Case of Mesopotamia", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' '''101''' (1), pp. 35–47 43.</ref> The [[Ionians|Ionian]] philosopher [[Thales]] was influenced by Babylonian cosmological ideas.