Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War Flashcards
(21 cards)
Human nature, according to Thucydides, is driven by three permanent motives
Fear (phobos) - fear of being harmed or dominated
Honour (timé) - desire for recognition and status
Interest (kerdos) - pursuit of gain and advantage
Human nature argument
In The History of the Peloponnesian War (Book I), Thucydides explains that the real cause of war was not stated grievances but fear - Sparta’s fear of Athens’ rising power
In civil wars (stasis), people discard moral standards and act on their most basic drives
Thucydides’s reasoning on human nature
Based on empirical observation of how war strips away conventions and reveals permanent, underlying human motivations
Rejects religious or idealistic explanations (e.g., gods favouring one side)
Comparison to Other Thinkers on his state of nature
Hobbes: develops this into a theory - In Leviathan, fear is the primary driver in the state of nature. Hobbes makes Thucydides insight systematic
Machiavelli: Agrees with the primacy of ambition and fear, but emphasizes glory-seeking (honour) even more strongly as a political motivator
Plato: strongly disagrees: Plato believes reason, not passion, should guide human life. Plato sees passion as a lower part of the soul that must be ruled by reason
Aristotle: partly agrees - humans are naturally political, but sees cooperative potential, not just conflict
Hume: thinks passions drive politics, but believes habit, utility, and commerce can moderate passions over time. More optimistic than Thucydides
Thucydides definition of Conflict
Conflict is the natural state among human beings and political entities, due to the unregulated pursuit of fear, honour, and interest
Thucydides’ argument about conflict
In The Civil War at Corcyra (Book III), Thucydides describes how civil strife transforms society
“Reckless daring was held to be loyal courage; prudent delay was seen as cowardice.”
Shows how in crisis, traditional values collapse, and violence becomes glorified
Thucydides’ reasoning for argument on conflict
Without strong, stable institutions or overwhelming power, passions take over, leading to violence and disintegration
Political order is fragile and contingent
comparison to other thinkers on his argument about conflict
Hobbes: follows Thucydides closely - the natural condition without government is war. Hobbes state of nature is a permanent stasis
Plato: believes conflict comes from internal disorder in the soul. Not inevitable if individuals are properly educated
Aristotle: accepts conflict but believes it can be balanced and managed through constitutional forms (polity)
Machiavelli: sees conflict as productive: conflict between elites and people can create freedom if properly managed (discourses)
Hume: believes gradual social development can tame conflict through commerce and habit
definition of power
Power is the ability to compel obedience or dominate others, primarily through force
argument for power
Melian Dialogue (Book V)
“The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must”
Shows that in the absence of a binding moral, raw strength decides outcomes
reasoning about power
Without a supreme authority above states, self-help dominates relations
Appeals to justice or fairness are irrelevant without the power to enforce them
comparison to other thinkers on power
Hobbes: reinforces this - peace comes not from shared morality, but from overwhelming power (sovereigns sword)
Machiavelli: fully embraces the view - power is essential; morality secondary to survival and acquisition
Plato: rejects it - believed power should be exercised by those who understand the good (philosopher kings)
Aristotle: sees political power as potentially just, exercised for the common good in proper regimes
Hume: believes power must be limited by institutions and norms, not just force
on justice
Is only real when it is backed by power. Otherwise, it is an ideological mask or rhetorical plea by the weak
argument on justice
Melian Dialogue
Melians argue for justice and fairness
Athenians reply that justice is only relevant when both sides are equal in power
reasoning for justice
Justice has no independent existence in a world governed by survival
Appeals to morality are ineffective without the ability to enforce claims
comparison to other thinkers on justice
Hobbes: justice is created by the sovereign; no natural justice outside civil society
Locke: strongly disagrees - natural law exists even without government; justice is real and binding by reason
Plato: justice is the natural ordering of the soul and the city - an objective good, not dependent on power
Aristotle: justice is partially relative (depending on regime) but still real and essential for political life
Hume: sees justice as emerging historically through social conventions, not through raw power
on liberty
Liberty (eleutheria) means collective independence - the freedom of a political community to govern itself, not subjugation by others
argument on liberty
Funeral Oration (Book II)
“Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people.”
Pericles (an Athenian statesman. Under his leadership Athenian democracy and the Athenian empire flourished) praises liberty as the defining feature of Athenian life - but liberty requires strength and vigilance
reasonings on liberty
Liberty is not about personal licence but about political autonomy
Freedom without strength invites domination by others
comparison to other thinkers on liberty
Plato: liberty without order is dangerous; democracy collapses into tyranny through excessive freedom
Aristotle: liberty is important but must be balanced by the rule of law and concern for the common good
Machiavelli: liberty is created and defended through conflict and virtù, not peaceful agreement
Hobbes: liberty is personal freedom within the bounds of law; no collective political liberty outside sovereign power
Hume: liberty is secured through stable government, habit, and commerce - not through heroic defense
Short Summary of Thucydides Argument Structure
Human Nature: fear, honour, interest drive all actions
Conflict: arises inevitably from passions
Power: necessary for survival; defines justice
Justice: relative to strength; appeals to justice are powerless without backing force
Liberty: political independence - but fragile without overwhelming strength
