The Humanity of Thucydides Clifford Orwin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Orwin, Clifford, 1947-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tucídides, ca. 460-ca. 400 a. C--Crítica e interpretación.

Greece--History--Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C--Historiography.

Greece.

Human behavior.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 235 pages)

Edition:

3rd ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 1997.

Summary:

Thucydides has long been celebrated for the unflinching realism of his presentation of political life. And yet, as some scholars have asserted, his work also displays a profound humanity. In the first thorough exploration of the relation between these two traits, Clifford Orwin argues that Thucydides' humanity is not a reflection of the author's temperament but an aspect of his thought, above all of his articulation of the central problem of political life, the tension between right and compulsion. This book provides the most complete treatment to date of Thucydides' handling of the problem of injustice, as well as the most extensive interpretations yet of the speeches in which it comes to light. Thucydides does not merely display the weakness of justice in the world, but joins his characters in exploring the implications of this weakness for our understanding of what justice is. Orwin pursues this question through Thucydides' work and relates it to the historian's other leading concerns, such as the contrast between the Athenian way and the Spartan way, the role of piety in political life, the interaction of foreign and domestic politics, and the role of statesmanship in a world dominated by frenzies of hope, fear, and indignation. Above all, Orwin demonstrates the richness, complexity, and daring of Thucydides' articulation of these issues.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

A Note on the Notes

A Note on Narrative Style

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 Prologue: The Athenian Empire as Freely Chosen Project: Pericles' Funeral Oration

CHAPTER 2 The Outbreak of the War and the Problem of Blame

CHAPTER 3 Justice as Usual

CHAPTER 4 Piety and Necessity

CHAPTER 5 The Melian Dialogue and the Fate of Melos

CHAPTER 6 Melos and Syracuse

CHAPTER 7 The Athenian Thesis Reconsidered: Diodotus and Hermocrates

CHAPTER 8 Domestic Politics

CHAPTER 9 Recapitulation and Conclusion: The Humanity of Thucydides

APPENDIX 1 Thucydides 1.22.1-3

APPENDIX 2 Thucydides' Use of Prophasis at 1.23.5—6

APPENDIX 3 Thucydides' Presentation of the Demand for the Repeal of the Megarian Decree

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [217]-228) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691034492

0691034494

9780691219400

0691219400

OCLC:

1273306296