Conclusion

The Conclusion first examines a handful of claims that Thucydides reveals about the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War in the later books, and then discusses the manner in which the interpretation of book one offered in the study furnishes a framework for the interpretation of the later books of the History. It focuses on the manner in which the universal relates to the particular in Thucydides’ thought, with an emphasis on how the more corporate account of motivation and action advanced in book one can help to shed light on Thucydides’ subsequent presentation of Athenian and Spartan individuals and on the nature of political decision-making itself. The relationship or overlap between the Thucydidean view and the Athenian one is also explored, along with the question of the relationship between necessity, justice, and freedom.

Classical Antiquity Studies · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Environmental Science · Globalization, Historical Perspectives, and International Relations