Thucydides Views On Human Nature And Power

Thucydides lived in a time when lands were strife with war, and strong nations overpowered weaker states in order to amass an empire. This brutal landscape shaped the way in which Thucydides viewed human nature. He believed that human nature was wild, uncontrollable, cruel, and unjust, and it must be controlled by a stronger power, namely the state of which the humans resided. Human nature drives individuals to pursue whatever means necessary in their own self-interest and greed. Both human nature and power coincide in this manner since they are both self-interested, greedy, and wish to be in control. A strong state is mandatory in order to efficiently manage both power and human nature. Thucydides states that civilization must place

restraints on the citizens, in the form of laws, so it may control the destructive nature of humans. This restraint is a social contract, that both the citizen and the state enter into, which provides protection to the citizens under the laws, but takes away some of the individual’s freedom. Ethics and morality belong within states and within citizens of the same state, with both the weak and powerful receive the same treatment under the law. This social contract is exclusive to the citizens of a state. No such contract exists between different states, therefore, there is no moral obligations or legitimacy between state interactions. Interstate politics lack regulation and justice; they’re unethical because there is nothing controlling the unjust human nature. The Melian dialogue illuminates the unjust political affairs between states when Athens declares, “the strong do what they have the power to do and the weak accept what they have to accept.” Thus, Thucydides concludes that international relations are determined by might as opposed to right. The hierarchy of power determines how states interact with each other, disregarding ethics.