Thucydides and Plutarch: Pericles and the Radical Democracy Before the Peloponnesian Wars

"Why study the Peloponnesian Wars? Simple, you cannot understand Greek philosophy and history without studying these wars. Socrates lived through and fought in these wars and was tried and executed after these wars. Many Platonic dialogues respond to issues and questions raised by these wars.

We will also discuss:
• The ancient Greek historians Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and Plutarch, and the modern historians, Will Durant and JC Bury.
• How the Greco-Persian Wars led to the Peloponnesian Wars.
• The Spartan King Archidamus warned his fellow Spartans about going to war with Athens.
• Alcibiades, who is a leading character both in the Peloponnesian Wars and in Plato’s dialogues.
• The Athenian general Cimon, Aristides the Just, and the founding of the Delian League, aka the Athenian Empire.
• Pericles, Ephialtes, and the founding of the Radical Democracy.
• How Pericles studied under the philosopher Anaxagoras, and married Aspasia.
• How the architect Phidias rebuilt the Acropolis, including the Parthenon.

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As Socrates teaches us, the examined life is a life worth living. We would be fools if we did not desire to learn from our multitude of friends whose words live in the works of the classics that have survived from past centuries and millennia. The Stoic and moral philosophers of Greece and Rome saw philosophy as an evangelical enterprise, seeking to spread the joy of living a godly life for its own sake.

Our projects include:
Studying the teachings of the ancient and modern stoic and moral philosophers on how to better lead a godly life.
Studying ancient and modern history to learn moral lessons and learn how we can successfully live a life of faith in trying times, including civil rights and social gospel history.
Studying issues of morality in the Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Jewish traditions.

Everyone should join and participate in their local church. However, my internet persona is purposefully obscure so that I can be respectful of all genuine Judeo-Christian traditions, I do not wish to be disrespectfully polemical.
This is original content based on research by Bruce Strom and his blogs. Images in the Public Domain, many from Wikipedia, some from the National Archives, are selected to provide illustration. When images of the actual topic or event are not available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.

All events are portrayed in historical context and for educational purposes. No images or content are primarily intended to shock and disgust. The ancient world was a warrior culture out of necessity, to learn from the distant past we should not only judge them from our modern perspective but also from their own ancient perspective on their own terms."