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This is a great book. The introductory essay alone is worth the read. Thucydides was an interesting character in Athenian history. He either had a very modern view of political and military theory or ours is very antiquated. It is relative. However, there is no denying that we can draw parallels between Athens' quarrels and political and social debates in 412 B.C.E. and American issues that are being debated in 2010. Thucydides was theorizing about elements of fascism before the term had even be...
(read for class)This was a lot harder for me to get through than the other books we’ve read for class, but I did appreciate this discussions that this led to, especially ones about the human condition and power dynamics!
This is a collection of selected passages from Thucydides, summarized and translated by Paul Woodruff. It is not a scholarly work in the traditional sense, featuring a stated thesis, supported by analysis of evidence. The scholarship lies in the curation and translations, which present an argument about what Thucydides’ preoccupations and concerns are. Namely, what it means to pursue justice, how power is deployed, and the influence of human nature on actions and outcomes.I’m finding it thought
men do this and then call women dramatic
Definitely a book! Thanks phil 127 for making me not enjoy greeks!
i had to read sections of this for class and i will say that the sections i read were very easy to follow. i was honestly impressed at the ease i had reading some of the speeches and such. my favorite one that i think everyone should read because it’s genuinely an amazing speech is pericles’ funeral oration. this one speech has been used as inspiration by three united states presidents, most recently by barack obama. (just a cool fact i learned in class) if you ever get the chance, read at least...
This is an easy to read translation of Thucydides covering the more interesting and important excerpts from the Peloponnesian War. Covering the wars opening, key battles and Tue fall of Athens at Syracuse, the monologues are easy to read and demonstrate the commonality of politics and human nature over the millennia. A good read.
We are lovers of nobility with restraint, and lovers of wisdom without any softening of character.
Why was this actually kinda good though? Lots of juicy ancient tea.
Great for learning, but something that I wouldn't necessarily take on vacation. More like bedside reading.
Thuc certainly has his opinions on human nature. Most of them are correct. Fascinating history of the Peloponnesian war & how human reactions stem from fear.
Having just read "War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning", this book served as a nice companion piece, looking at some similar issues of the cost of war, but also expanding the discussion to look at how crippling a war can be for the involved empires. Athens was able to recover culturally, but never returned to the level of power it had before the war, while Sparta just continued to decline. Should I have put a [SPOILER ALERT:] there?I read the abridged version because that was all the NYPL had, b...
This was a surprise for me because I really liked this book. Normally I am extremely intimidated by ancient sources like this. Though Thucydides writes in an extremely dense fashion that can be a slow read, the information he provides is fascinating. He is surprisingly scientific considering the time period and is kind of like a father to scientific historical writing. Give it a try and don't get discouraged if at first it seems unapproachable, it'll grow on you if you give it a chance!
I have to admit I was slightly intimidated by this book so I kept putting off reading it. When I finally got around to reading it, I was surprised to find that, while it could be dense and slow going at times, it wasn't that hard to understand. I especially enjoyed reading about the Athenian defeat in during their Sicilian Expedition.
War is unecessary. Although I dislike this book for its content I must admit that it is a good source of Greek history, with a fine section about plague and the ethical implications of feeling one is nearing death.
A bit hard to get into, but once I took some notes in class and understood who was who and what was what, it was actually very interesting. Or I'm just a super nerd. Probably both.
Thucydides: exiled general, measured historian, and, dare say, first political theorist? I look forward to finishing this one. Plus, I just gotta know if Athens pulls through this one.
this book is great.
Second book of my freshman seminar. I went into reading this with low expectations, thinking that a history of some random war. But it was actually kinda interesting!
