Reading Thucydides, Part 1
Everyone should read Thucydides. The conflict between Athens and Sparta begat the fundamental book about war. The History of the Peloponnesian War is hard read. Let us then read Paul Woodruff's translation, On Justice, Power, and Human Nature. It is available used or new ($8-$15) on Amazon. If you prefer to read the whole thing, or a free translation, I will provide the chapter and verse.
Read the introduction and the first section (i.1--i.22) by June 18. Come up with a question and drop it in the comments.
I am reading Thucydides for at least two reasons:
ReplyDelete1.) He is the a good lens with which to see our present world. The war in Ukraine, the threat of China, the saber rattling of North Korea, and the question of Iran need to be seen with fresh non-American eyes.
2.) I am preparing to read Leo Strauss's The City and Man. It is an analysis of Plato's Republic (I read this spring), Aristotle's Politics (to be read this fall), and Thucydides. Plan on reading that next year.