2011:thucydides-book-1-debate-at-sparta
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| ====== Thucydides Book 1: Debate at Sparta ====== | ====== Thucydides Book 1: Debate at Sparta ====== | ||
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| + | ==== Authored by Frank Redmond, 2005 ==== | ||
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| ===== An Analysis: Athens v. Sparta ===== | ===== An Analysis: Athens v. Sparta ===== | ||
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| So who will ultimately, given the attributes both sides have, come out on the top? As someone who has already read the book and knows the answer, I cannot be a fair judge of this. However, I must say that Thucydides presents the Athenians in a more positive light, at least in the beginning. The Spartans, to him, are a sluggish bunch, incapable of taking up new challenges. And challenges and taking up these challenges are what war is all about. For example, when he says: “You Spartans are the only people in Hellas who wait calmly on events, relying for your defense not on action but on making people think that you will act. You alone do nothing in the early stages to prevent an enemy’s expansion; you wait until your enemy has doubled his strength” (1.69). The lack of initiative at Sparta is a huge issue. For Thucydides, one must have initiative in order to succeed in wartime. The Athenians have plenty of initiative and drive to go to war and conquer. This is seen throughout the text. As such, Thucydides seems to have more respect for the Athenian way. However, Thucydides also knows that the Athenians will go too far in their entrepreneurial quest, and they will fail because they will make terrible decisions based on their feelings rather than on reason. | So who will ultimately, given the attributes both sides have, come out on the top? As someone who has already read the book and knows the answer, I cannot be a fair judge of this. However, I must say that Thucydides presents the Athenians in a more positive light, at least in the beginning. The Spartans, to him, are a sluggish bunch, incapable of taking up new challenges. And challenges and taking up these challenges are what war is all about. For example, when he says: “You Spartans are the only people in Hellas who wait calmly on events, relying for your defense not on action but on making people think that you will act. You alone do nothing in the early stages to prevent an enemy’s expansion; you wait until your enemy has doubled his strength” (1.69). The lack of initiative at Sparta is a huge issue. For Thucydides, one must have initiative in order to succeed in wartime. The Athenians have plenty of initiative and drive to go to war and conquer. This is seen throughout the text. As such, Thucydides seems to have more respect for the Athenian way. However, Thucydides also knows that the Athenians will go too far in their entrepreneurial quest, and they will fail because they will make terrible decisions based on their feelings rather than on reason. | ||
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2011/thucydides-book-1-debate-at-sparta.1332208562.txt.gz · Last modified: 2014/01/14 22:47 (external edit)