which he explains what he believes the nature of Athens to be. In the following years‚ Thucydides gives a report of the Plague of 430‚ regarding the state of Athens. With a significant comprehension of both accounts‚ we can generate a accurate depiction of the condition of Athens. In order to produce this understanding‚ I will first delve into the rhetoric of Pericles speech‚ then turn my attention to Thucydides account of of the plague that ravished Attica. As the first year of the war
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Peloponnesian War was considered by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides‚ to be the greatest disturbance that had ever affected the Greeks. Thucydides was a fifth century BC Athenian historian‚ political philosopher and general. He is considered by many to be the “Father of scientific history” due to his strict guidelines when it came to gathering evidence and analyzing cause and effect without giving reference to the gods. Thucydides is known for his work History of the Peloponnesian War that gives
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of necessity that I have given in the introduction‚ I have tried to incorporate the different sections in Thucydides History to justify my arguments of what is a war of necessity and in what circumstances would it be necessary for states to go to war with each other. By incorporating different sections into my arguments‚ I try to ensure that I have a more well-rounded understanding of Thucydides viewpoints and not take any of his viewpoints out of context. With the above in mind‚ I have put forth two
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In Thucydides’‚ The History of The Peloponnesian War‚ there are many themes that are illustrated throughout various passages. One major theme can be found in book 2‚ chapter 53‚ where Thucydides describes the situation in Athens after it had been stricken with plague during the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides uses his account of the plague to suggest that war is a violent teacher. Among other passages in his work he also suggests that in war‚ no matter how wealthy and prepared the participants may
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Thucydides Versus Plato: Differing Views of the Good Life What is the true nature of the Good Life? Is it living life with concern for only oneself despite the possible consequences of one’s action on others? Or might it involve self-sacrifice in effort to do what one feels is right or just? Is it descriptive‚ or perhaps prescriptive? Two prominent Greeks‚ Thucydides and Plato‚ began providing answers to these questions over 25 centuries ago as they analyzed and wrote critically about life’s
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Thucydides’ History Of the Peloponnesian War: Pericles’ Advice Athens and Sparta fought for supreme control of Greece for 27 years. The Peloponnesian War is the name given to this conflict between these two powers. Pericles‚ a prominent Athenian politician and leader‚ offered wise advice to the Athenians at the start of the war on how to manage the war while fighting Sparta. He said: “[Don’t] add to the empire while the war is in progress … [or] go out of your way to involve yourselves in
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Kant and Thucydides‚ make some very significant and contrasting views on the nature of peace and man’s propensity to go to war. Kant‚ writing during the 18th century ‚ and Thucydides‚ an Athenian‚ commentating some 2000 years earlier during the 5th century BC are coming from very different experiences and historical settings. Kant postulates that it is reasonable to live in peace ‚ in a republic where citizens self rule and have ultimate control of their own destiny‚ Thucydides‚ on the other
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Systematic Rationalization of Thucydides ’ Peloponnesian War The Peloponnesian War‚ being one of the earliest wars with a good historical record‚ sets an important precedent for those interested in international relations. The information related by Thucydides in his writings on the war allows comparisons to be drawn with modern wars and conclusions to be drawn. One of the most important of these conclusions that may be drawn is that‚ like in modern times‚ the balance of power between states in
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Thucydides work focused on the war and on foreign relations with society and the helot class not being central to his work. Any evidence produced by Thucydides must be read in light of the fact that he greatly admired the Spartan system of controlling and suppressing the
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Kant‚ Thucydides‚ and Weber collectively agreed on one premise – human nature directly affect the political actions of a state‚ whether they be moral or immoral. Given the different time periods each of these political theorists studied in‚ each man had vastly different ideas on the consequences of human nature on political actions‚ or vice versa. Thucydides was a consequentialist‚ Kant was a staunch deontologist‚ and Weber believed that both consequentialism and deontology had their own place within
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