The Athenian Spirit

While flying from Boston to Atlanta, and then to Minneapolis I had a book in my hand. The title of the book was History of Peloponnesian War, written by one of the first historians of the world, the Greek philosopher Thucydides. I have special interest in historical developments, and particularly when it is related to Greece, or Greek civilization, I evince a special interest primarily because the Greeks reached the zenith of wisdom, and contributed to science and philosophy before their decimation.

The book by Thucydides provides an account of Peloponnesian war. Thucydides was an Athenian, and too had participated in a war in which his army was defeated, and as a result of which he was exiled out of Athens. During his exile, he traveled many city states, and during that process he completed this book. He is considered to be the first pioneer of Realist School in international politics. His main argument in book (though I have not finished it) is that nation-states (in those days there were city states) may indulge in war to promote their interest. And in this war, fear plays an important role. This fear factor was later capitalized in the writings of Machiavelli and Hobbes. Interestingly, Hobbes translated this book of Thucydides in English and became one of his admires. I am reading the one translated by Rex Warner.

My purpose here is not to give a detail account of the content of the book. My purpose is to narrate my exhilaration as I was reading the book.  The book contains an awful data about the intrigues between the city states. In my case, I was awestruck while reading the page 51, in which the city state of Corinth is putting its case before the city state of Sparta, and persuading it to fight against Athens, its newly turned enemy. In fact, most of the accounts in this book are in dialogue forms. As far as I can tell most of the writings of Greek period, including Plato’s Republic, are in dialogue form. This particular book contains both explanation as well as dialogue.

What fascinated me is while arguing their case; the representatives of Corinth were criticizing Athens. But, interestingly, while criticizing they also pointed out the virtues of Athenians which made them great. To quote Corinthians (in the words of Thucydides), “An Athenian is always an innovator, quick to form a resolution and quick at carrying it out… Then again, Athenian daring will outrun its own resources; they will take risks against their better judgment, and still, in the midst of danger, remain confident… they never hesitate; while you stay at home, they are always abroad; for they think that the farther they go the more they will get… If they win a victory, they follow it up at once, and if they suffer a defeat, they scarcely fall back at all… each man cultivates his own intelligence, again with a view to doing something notable for his city. If they aim at something and do not get it, they think that they have been deprived of what belonged to them already; whereas, if their enterprise is successful, they regard that success as nothing compared to what they will do next. Suppose they fail in some undertaking; they make good the loss immediately by setting their hopes in some other direction. Of them alone it may be said that they possess a thing almost as soon as they have begun to desire it, so quickly with them does action follow upon decision. And so they go on working away in hardship and danger all the days of their lives, seldom enjoying their possessions because they are always adding to them. Their view of a holiday is to do what needs doing; they prefer hardship and activity to peace and quiet.”

These particular traits of the Athenians appealed me. I have some ideas about the Greek civilization, which can be termed actually Athenian civilization, as Athens contributed and enriched almost in every sphere of human endeavor. In science we have great Athenians like Archimedes, Hippocrates, Thales, Democritus, in literature, philosophy and social science, we have great stalwarts like Homer, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle. In fact the list is unending. Even before reading this book, I was already overwhelmed by the sagacity and wisdom of the Athenians. The whole tree of human knowledge derives much of its sustenance from Greek civilization, which is particularly the Athenian civilization if I can formulate like that. We say father of political science is Aristotle, father of zoology is Aristotle, father of medicine is Hippocrates (every doctor takes Hippocratic Oath before practice), father of history is Herodotus, and all these people belonged to Athens.