Final answer:
Ancient Greek society had varied beliefs about death, where it could be a journey to a better place for the virtuous, but views on the afterlife were not uniform across all individuals or city-states. Philosophers like Socrates regarded death as another state of being, potentially positive for those who lived a life of virtue. Ordinary Greeks may have been more concerned with the tangible benefits of religious rituals.
Step-by-step explanation:
In ancient Greek society, the concept of death was complex and multifaceted. It was not unilaterally considered either 'good' or 'bad', but rather dependent on the circumstances of one's life and death. For the Greeks, virtue lay in the public performance of excellence, and those who lived virtuously could expect to be rewarded in the afterlife.
According to Plato and Socratic beliefs, death could be seen as a journey to a better place for the virtuous, potentially allowing one to dwell with the gods or be reincarnated if philosophical purity was achieved. This eschatological hope varied widely, and was often tied to the initiations into mystery cults like those of Eleusis, although the belief in a rewarding afterlife was not unanimous across all Greek societies.
Philosophers like Socrates and Plato had their own interpretations of death and what it represented, with Socrates, in particular, embracing the notion of death as a potential journey to another place where he could continue his pursuit of wisdom. This indicates that at least among philosophers, death was not something to be feared but was considered another state of existence that could offer the opportunity for continued growth and questioning. The belief was that a well-lived life of virtue could lead to a good afterlife.
Comparatively, for the average Greek citizen, attention might have been more focused on the immediate benefits of ritual practices, such as the promise of prosperity, rather than a detailed eschatological promise. The Greeks also had a conception of a 'good death' versus a 'bad death', with the former involving a full life of accomplishments and peaceful passing, similar to other cultures around the world, as described by folk taxonomies. Overall, Greek attitudes towards death were shaped by their cultural values, religious practices, and philosophical schools of thought.