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Thucydides
The Peloponnesian War
Assignment

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Human nature has always been a complex phenomenon and needs a system to converge it in the

purest form and rightful destination. There has been different views on human nature.

Thucydides has also paid his greater interest and attention towards human nature to understand it

and formulate it into the proper corners of a well-organized definition. Thucydides considered

the certain human qualities and termed some of those qualities and characteristics as problematic.

It is because, in all the wars explained in this book between different groups were the results of

flawed nature of leaders and powerful allies.

Thucydides explains that the way Sparta went against Athens was because of fear. The fear that

they have been keeping inside themselves. The fear that shaped their actions and planning

against Athens. The fear may be of the growth of the other nations and many of the decisions

were based on this by some of the nations. These decisions were not proved to be that strong but

had adverse effects. It is because of this fear that made Sparta plan attacks on Athens, (1.25 .). In

dark times during the war, the people become an amoral being. They become what they never

thought to be or they never meant to be. But when there is a time of development, peace, and

prosperity, people experience the being of high morality. It is because there is not any sort of

force that can throw them towards the difficulties as of war. Because such hardships of war take

away daily life peace and comfort. They become violent and people come out having the greater

passion to regain that comfort by being wild and cruel and that is the dark time for human nature,

(2.53 .). Thucydides believes that human nature is somehow uncontrollable and seems like wild.

It needs to be trained well from time to time. It must be looked after by the ones who are

stronger, the stronger beings. Pericles has been mentioned by Thucydides because of the

speeches made by him for so many times during the war of Peloponnesian.
The war brings the way by which justice can be regained and colonies can be invaded and the

end of the war brings prosperity for the one side and another side slaughters humanity. The

people who remained neutral during the war, who did not become part of any of the sides

became the victims of both cruel sides. This explains that they had to be a part of any single side

and be courageous to get back their comfort. This fight is not to show the power just but to show

the power that cries for comfort, peace, and prosperity. As the rule of war is that only one side is

going to get everything. Thucydides also talks about the two factors during the war, which he

believes are quite important to be discussed, these are judgment or passion. He also explains that

what the consequences of both during the war are. War breaks the difference between the poor

and rich people but what differentiates them in actual is their passion. There is a gap between the

person being rational and the person having passion. A person having passion goes with

irrational decision making during the war but the other is cowardice being the rational man. So

he brings the factor that can bring moderation in between the two. It is said that their judgments

were based on the wishful and imaginary thinking rather than having the sound rational

calculations, these calculations are of the probabilities. These people when they will have

something to achieve, they will leave that on hope, they will try to reject all the forces that make

them work.

During the war of Peloponnesian, there were two different parties Sparta and Athens. Sparta

were conservatives, they didn’t believe in bringing the changes and kept the things as they were.

They were the people who would not take initiatives but on the other hand, Athens was the sort

of people who were in the favor of revolutions, they adopted new ideas and quickly take

initiatives. With the war days passing, they realized that everything will be taken away. Neither

wealth nor life will ever last long, (1.70 .).

There has been stress on the perception as well. People are more inverted towards obeying the

force rather than the law it is because the force has more strength and power than law. It is said

that wise people will always choose that life which is quiet and silent. The life that has no mess

and is not in a hurry to take actions and make snap decisions. But there, this sort of mode will

remain active until and unless they are not being attacked. If there is any sort of attack which is

severe and hard, they will retaliate that. They will come out as strong and brave individuals and

reject the peace in that way. They will go for war. They will have benefit from the other parties

because they are brave and being with brave they are wise, they will not do any sort of hurry.

They will not choose to be overconfident. They will take every measured step. They will not be

on top of their thinking that they have succeeded and stay on that. Neither they will remain in the

comfort and charm of the peace of being silent but rather they will take actions and put efforts to

be aggressive to win and succeed in that war. People due to their irresolution, think of their

pleasure and comfort, take aside from fighting in the war. Because they think that they will lose

their delight and peace. On the other hand, those people who just go far beyond because of the

success that they have got in the war. This makes them fail to realize that the confidence they

have got is of no use to them rather this will cause destruction for them.

Thucydides believes that whatever the events occur like the events that had occurred during the

war of Peloponnesian, will occur some other day at some other time and will repeat the history in

the same or similar manner. He believes and explains in his book that for war, one cannot use his

ideas or suppositions because they might be wrong and irrational and are according to the one

person but the occasions and events during the war are in the repeated patterns. Previous events

of war must be analyzed and only then suppositions can be made on the war and that will be

rational because they already have occurred. It is because history has cyclical nature and it
repeats itself. These depend on the flow of history which is again based on the generations. He

further explains whatever will happen in the future will not be something new but these will be

the repeated and systematic series of events. They may have something of a different nature but

will be the same or similar to the past happenings.

The emphasis that individuals need to make up their minds. Their happiness needs to depend on

having the free nature, the freedom they have got and the free space they enjoy on. Ultimately,

that free space and freedom depend on being courageous. There cannot be found any sort of

relaxation in the face of the war perils. The people when they have got something to fight for and

participate in the war, when they have so much to lose, like the citizens who were living in the

democracy as the Athens, this will give more power to fight with a greater intensity which will

maintain that courage of fighting. There is more emphasis on dealing with reality rather than

having the wishful thinking that would that it was not this or that way. As in history, it has been

seen that Athenians and Syracusans both wanted to make Camerinaeans to take their side in the

war over Sicily. In this matter, Hermocrates came out and pinned out the expected result and

urged the Camerinaeans to make the decision which should be based on the facts.

Thucydides provides a better position that justifies, that's why political scientists need to study

history. It is because whatever the events that once occurred in the past have become history

now. History has a tendency to repeat itself because history has a cyclical nature. Political

science students studying history will come to know about the past occasions and this way they

can make better assumptions and suppositions. In case, if there is any event that is reoccurring,

they will be better off to know what flaws and strong steps had been taken and which party had

won such events and what actually led them to win. This way they can make a better decision

and help the current parties to win and remain under the shadow of success. This makes them to
know about defeating the opposing party. They will face less destruction as compared to the

other parties in the past.

In the book five, Athenians did not deign to save and defend themselves and the justice of their

decision or even their empire to have planned attack on Melos. It is because they believed that

justice has no power between the two unequal, in actual it is between the equals, (5. 89 .). But

Melians did in reverse, instead of abiding to Athenians understanding, they strongly advocated

and supported Spartan position. They were in the perception that for their defense God will help

them and he is hearing them because they had faith that they are the people who are quite pious

and they do not support and advocate those who are unjust and are doing the wrong things,

(5.104 .).

Athenians were challenged by Melians, this time Athens had point of view and belief that power

has got no justice in the world. They believed that basically world is indifferent to such thing.

There is no power in the world that can be enforced for the justice that can help to punish the

people or parties who are unjust and unfair, likewise rewarding those who are just and fair to the

human beings. This emphasizes that Athenians had no moral order. They were well confident on

their such philosophy. Melian were well responded about their assumption, it is the God who has

power to punish and reward the wrongful, unjust doer and rightful, just doer, respectively.

Athens as a response mentioned that there is no existence of such Gods. But rather it is the

compulsion of necessity and needs of the nature of human beings, they will do what is good for

them, it’s their nature necessity that makes them to achieve the power which lies in their root of

interest. It has no link or connection with the justice. The human beings are more concerned

about their self-interest rather than justice and fairness. It has been mentioned that Melians are

not high in power than Athens, they are weaker than them. Further as their response to
arguments, they utter that if there is existence of God as claimed by Melians, there will be no

favor of single party in the war, both sides have equal self-interests.

It is the passion of a human being that obscure any sort of sense of judgment or justice with the

individuals. The belief system of not believing in God and having nor fear of him shapes their

behavior. And this behavior ultimately leads towards the lawlessness and having no regard or

concern with the outcomes and consequences. The blame is not put on the human beings but

their human desire, interest in superiority and some other emotions are backed by that. As in the

plague, there is no blend of rational thinking, so in the case of pandemonium, its root is because

of the forces, which are in actual far away from the limit of the human capacity, they infinitely at

a distance from this. So, one cannot make relationship between the emotions and judgments

because these are just far away and quite distinct from the civil war and war crimes, (1.53 .).

Whereas it is said that it is important to have judgment so that the balance between the desires

and emptions can be maintained. Because it plays an important part in the humans’ hopelessness

where they have no choice but when they cannot even choose to have rational thinking. In this

case, they are intended to surrender themselves towards their passion and desires. Due to certain

circumstances which are not in control, people can change their nature and infact they are bound

to do so, because they are not left with any other option, but that is not because of the individual

judgments made. So, this argument has also been considered as one of the reason of this war.

The strength and power of the ideas of fear, fame and self-preservation have been emphasized on

the politics have been in, (1.76 .). The Athenians include themselves in this boundary and this is

how they justify themselves for their actions. This notion gives the poor reflection of the

judgment on Athens. But on the part of Lacedaemonians, they also fall in this notion and that

makes them to rebel against them and that has made them to defeat Athenians. Lacedaemonians
are considered as the rational thinkers whereas Athens in their comparison are not but rather they

rely on their passion and that is the things that distinguish these both parties. Lacedaemonians

didn’t rebel against Athens because they believe that they are more rational than them but their

main motive was the desire to have the freedom and the feeling of being free, being liberated in

comparison to the Athens.

In the whole summary of the Thucydides “The Peloponnesian War”, it has been concluded that

the evil is not caused by the war but it is structured by the human beings and human beings’

nature, their passion is shaped by their desires which are again made on the human nature. These

revolve around each other. Further, it has been explained that if humans were of the different

nature or somewhat having different nature, war would have occurred at all or if it would have

occurred it would have been little less dangerous and terrible. It is mentioned that if certain

factors are mentioned in the book like fear of being inferior and having less power than the other,

desires, self-advantages, ambition and their desire to have power to rule the other, as the natural

human forces and tendencies but inspite of this, it means that these factors are naturally present

in humans which are ignited and stimulated by certain unwanted events and hard times and

disastrous period. War is considered as a violent teacher that makes them to step in that cruel

path. But when the events are not disastrous or unwanted, these tendencies remain dormant.

Humans act well and step forward to contribute in their society and their well-being.
References

"1.25." In Thucydides "The Peloponnesian War", 25.

"1.70." In Thucydides "The Peloponnesian War", 70.

"2.53." In Thucydides "The Peloponnesian War", 53.

"5. 89." In Thucydided "The Peloponnesian War", 85.

"5.104." In Thucydides "The Peloponnesian War" , 104.