Reply #1: These blanket statements characterizing whole societies

[Jed Dilligan]

are always wrong.

How practical are a people if almost every single one of them carries a phallic amulet to ward off the evil eye?

Which was the case among the Romans. I could just as easily call them superstitious, emotional, and completely obsessed with the concept of luck. I could provide at least as much evidence as the "practical" side.

Now I'm not sure if you are characterizing the argument correctly--"practical" seems to be more like "pragmatic" here, i.e., they applied their talents, including theoretical talents, to things like inventing the arch (as opposed to, for instance, Aristotle's "Unities" of drama or Plato's utopia.) Part of this was that they inherited the Greek tradition wholesale and much of the basic theoretical work was complete--in fact, it wasn't until the Renaissance that Aristotle's basic theories were challenged.