A Possession for All Time: How Should We Read Thucydides?

Re:A Possession for All Time: How Should We Read Thucydides? by pseudolus on Wednesday February 13, 2019 @02:33PM (#19156030)

The Melian dialogue (basically might makes right) is probably the earliest and one of the most realistic descriptions of the rationale used by conquerors to justify their actions [0]. People haven't changed much in the nearly 2500 years since Thucydides' death, it's just been a constant stream of new excuses in the form of race, religion, and nationalism. That, in a period of history that we believe to be significantly less advanced than our own, he laid bare an essential truth is a credit to him. He deserves a place on the bookshelves of all, right beside Machiavelli's "The Prince".

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Melos#The_Melian_Dial...

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Re:A Possession for All Time: How Should We Read Thucydides? by B1FF_PSUVM on Wednesday February 13, 2019 @04:16PM (#19157094)

The words there are perhaps the most chilling ever penned - "since you know as well as we do that right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must."

Incidentally, the Venus of Milo statue was found in the island a couple of centuries ago. It used to be a major Louvre museum attraction.

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