Tuesday 10 January 2017

Where do I find explanation and analysis of Thucydides' Melian Dialogue?

The so-called Melian Dialogue is found at the end of Book 5 (sections 84-116) of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, a military conflict which took place from 431 and 404 BCE and involved Athens and its allies and Sparta and its allies. 


The dialogue takes its name from the little island of Melos, which wanted to remain neutral in the war even though Thucydides says the Melians were a colony of the Spartans....

The so-called Melian Dialogue is found at the end of Book 5 (sections 84-116) of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, a military conflict which took place from 431 and 404 BCE and involved Athens and its allies and Sparta and its allies. 


The dialogue takes its name from the little island of Melos, which wanted to remain neutral in the war even though Thucydides says the Melians were a colony of the Spartans. The mighty Athenians were unhappy about the Melians' neutrality and in 416 BCE threatened them with destruction if they did not take the Athenian side in the war. Thucydides presents the conversation between the Athenians and the Melians in the form of a short dialogue.


By the end of the dialogue, the Melians continue to express their faith in the gods, belief that the Spartans will protect them, and their desire to remain neutral in the war, whereas the Athenians, who emerge as bullies in this dialogue, depart from the negotiations and lay siege to the island. Eventually, the Melians surrendered to the Athenians who



put to death all who were of military age, and made slaves of the women and children. They then colonised the island, sending thither five hundred settlers of their own. (Jowett translation)



An article by W. Julian Korab-Karpowicz describes the Melian Dialogue as "The First Realist-Idealist Debate." Korab-Karpowicz identifies the historical importance of this dialogue as follows:



Can international politics be based on a moral order derived from the principles of justice, or will it forever remain the arena of conflicting national interests and power?



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