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In this original and rewarding combination of intellectual and political history, Ryan Balot offers a thorough historical and sociological interpretation of classical Athens centered on the notion of greed. Integrating ancient philosophy, poetry, and history, and drawing on modern political thought, the author demonstrates that the Athenian discourse on greed was an essential component of Greek social development and political history.
Over time, the Athenians developed sophisticated psychological and political accounts of acquisitiveness and a correspondingly rich vocabulary to describe and condemn it. Greed figures repeatedly as an object of criticism in authors as diverse as Solon, Thucydides, and Plato--all of whom addressed the social disruptions caused by it, as well as the inadequacy of lives focused on it. Because of its ethical significance, greed surfaced frequently in theoretical debates about democracy and oligarchy. Ultimately, critiques of greed--particularly the charge that it is unjust--were built into the robust accounts of justice formulated by many philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle. Such critiques of greed both reflected and were inextricably knitted into economic history and political events, including the coups of 411 and 404 B.C.
Balot contrasts ancient Greek thought on distributive justice with later Western traditions, with implications for political and economic history well beyond the classical period. Because the belief that greed is good holds a dominant position in modern justifications of capitalism, this study provides a deep historical context within which such justifications can be reexamined and, perhaps, found wanting.
List of contents
Preface and Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
Chapter 2. Greed in Aristotle's Political Thought 22
Greed and Unfairness in Distribution in Nicomachean Ethics 5 23
What Makes Human Beings Greedy? 34
Analyzing Greed in the Polis: Revolution, Civic Strife, and Distributive, Justice 44
Conclusion 55
Chapter 3. Solonian Athens and the Archaic Roots of Greed 58
Homer and Hesiod 59
Solon's Reform 73
Solon's Critique: The Problem of Acquisition and Unfairness 79
Chapter 4. Herodotus and the Greed of Imperialism 99
Eastern Imperialism 100
Greed and Fairness in the Panhellenic League 108
The Emergent Imperialism of Athens 114
Conclusion 129
Chapter 5. Thucydides, Greed, and the Breakdown of Political Community 136
Revolution at Corcyra: Greed, Leadership, and Civic Trust 137
Periclean Athens: Greedy Success 142
Human Nature, Democracy, and Greed 154
Post-Periclean Disintegration 159
Conclusion: The Ethics of Athenian Imperialism 172
Chapter 6. "Revolution Matters"? Oligarchic Rebellion and Democratic Hegemony in Athens 179
Athenian Culture in the Late Fifth Century: Unity and Division 180
The Revolution of 411: Speech, Mistrust, and Violence 211
The Revolution of 404: Greed and the Thirty 219
Responding to the Revolutions. Lysias and Xenophon 225
Chapter 7. Epilogue: Planto's Republic in Context 234
Bibliography 249
Index Locorum 273
General Index 279
About the author
Ryan K. Balot
Summary
Offers a historical and sociological interpretation of classical Athens centered on the notion of greed. Integrating ancient philosophy, poetry, and history, and drawing on modern political thought, this work demonstrates that the Athenian discourse on greed was an essential component of Greek social development and political history.
Additional text
"The intellectual breadth and depth of the project is most impressive. Moreover, the scholarship is thorough . . . primary sources are regularly cited and sometimes quoted and the writing style is as consistently clear as it is literate and, from a critical standpoint, au courant. Altogether, Balot's study is to be highly recommended across the wide spectrum of disciplines it so splendidly reflects."---Nicholas F. Jones, The Historian
