Thucydides Gets Real on Human Nature

PLUS: Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine

Dear Classical Wisdom Reader,

They say history is written by the victors... but really, it’s written by the historians. Some of them were on the winning side, some on the losing side... and some give the greatest insights when were part of neither. 

So was the case of Thucydides, one of the most fundamental historians of all time, not only for chronicling the rise and fall of an empire, but also for his insights on human nature, pessimistic as they were...

In fact, today’s article delves into Thucydides' explanation as to the origin of wars, their inevitability and the critical historical context that inspired his ideas... read below and decide if you think he was right or not.

Of course, you don’t need to agree with Thucydides and his ideas on political realism to realize how important they were. His thoughts would shape thousands of years of political theory and insight, while his Histories documented one of the largest, most important wars of the ancient world. This is why he went down in the books as the father of true history, political realism and scientific history. 

In fact, today’s article on Thucydides comes from our Classical Wisdom Litterae Magazine dedicated entirely to the famed historian, which Classical Wisdom Members can enjoy below.

Also included in the issue is the “Who’s Who of Thucydides’ World”, “Epithets Ergo Sun: Epithets, or titles, adorn Thucydides’ name. But is that who he really was?”, “Pericles’ Funeral Oration” as well as “Inside the Plague of Athens”.

All the best,
Anya Leonard

Founder and Director
Classical Wisdom

P.S. If you enjoy learning about Thucydides but would appreciate understanding him in the context of his time as well as the history of ancient Greece, then definitely check out our Essential Greeks course, starting THIS Monday! 

Our ten part course, each with four modules, plus quizzes, transcripts and biographies will give you a solid foundation of the most influential ancient Greeks, the great minds who have inspired for thousands of years. 

Learn more and sign up before we start on July 1st, 2024 here: 

Thucydides Gets Real on Human Nature

By Van Bryan 

What’s Greek for realpolitik? The best answer to that may be Thucydides. 

Realpolitik, to use the term broadly, is effectively political realism. A political realist holds certain assumptions when viewing the world stage and the relationships between nations. Such a person perceives the international community as an amoral, virtue-free setting with autonomous states acting as power hungry, self-interested entities. Lacking any sort of overarching world government, each nation exists in a state of perpetual fear of being attacked or otherwise betrayed by any other state.

A realist like Thucydides reduced the motivations of the state to the same motivations