In h is l e t t e r t o th e re a d e rs which precedes h is t r a n s la t io n o f Thucydides Hobbes n o tic e s and endorses the view , t h a t In h is tim e s was w idespread (63), t h a t Thucydides was “ th e most p o l i t i c h ls to r lo g r a p h e r t h a t e v e r w r i t ” . (64-) In L e v ia th a n he e x p la in s th a t a fu n d am en ta l In g re d ie n t o f a “ good h is t o r y ” Is “ th e ch oice o f th e a c tio n s th a t a re more p r o f it a b le to be known” . (65)
In t h i s c h a p te r I t has been argued th a t th e reason why Hobbes saw th e H is to r y as a work o f th e h ig h e s t p o l i t i c a l s ig n ific a n c e lie s In th e f a c t t h a t In I t T hucydides s p e lls o u t b oth th e necessary c o n d itio n f o r a s ta b le p o l i t i c a l o rd e r and th e causes o f c i v i l wars. More s p e c if ic a lly , I t has been shown th a t T hucydides I d e n t if ie d In c o n tr o lle d fe a r th e c o rn e rs to n e o f p o l i t i c a l o rd e r: whenever fe a r Is removed from th e gamut o f human passions, as d u rin g th e plague In A thens, th e outcome Is s o c ia l and p o l i t i c a l chaos. C onversely, when fe a r Is so overw helm ing th a t a l l o th e r human p assions are
(61) L e via th a n , p. 64; E iem ents o f Law, p. 35.
(62) On t h i s see C l i f f o r d O rwln ‘The J u s t and th e Advantageous In Thucydides: The Case o f th e M y tl I lenalan Debate', American
P o l it ic a l Science Review, v o l. 78, 1984, pp. 4 85 -9 4 .
(63) On t h i s see R ich a rd S c h la tte r, ‘ In tr o d u c tio n ’ , In R. S c h la tte r (ed), Hobbes's Thucydides, New Brunsw ick, N.J.: R utgers U n iv e r s ity Press, 1975, pp. x l - x x v l l l .
(64) H is to ry , I, p. v l l l . (65) L e v ia th a n , p. 58.
o b lit e r a t e d , as In th e case o f a n c ie n t Greece b e fo re I t "grew c i v i l " , the n u n c e r ta in ty re ig n s supreme, a n t ic ip a t io n and f i r s t s t r ik e a re the o n ly s tr a te g y , d e c is io n s a re ta k e n under s tr e s s and, again, the outcome Is p o l i t i c a l chaos.
In T h ucyd id e s' c h a ra c te r Iz a t Ion o f human n a tu re people have In the m se lve s n o t o n ly th e p o s s i b i l i t y to c re a te a s ta b le p o l i t i c a l o rd e r — by tu r n in g to t h e ir advantage t h e i r n a tu ra l fe a r — b u t a ls o the p o t e n t ia l so u rce o f I t s d e s tr u c tio n . In fa c t, th e re a re tw o human passion s th a t. I f a llo w e d to o v e r - r id e fe a r, can underm ine s o c ia l and p o l i t i c a l a s s o c ia tio n s : a m b itio n to r u le and a v a ric e . In t h is c h a p te r I t has been su g g e ste d t h a t In h is p o l i t i c a l w orks Hobbes develops th e above In s ig h ts and t r i e s to f in d an escape fro m a d ua l paradox I m p lic it In T h ucyd id e s' H is to ry , namely th e paradox th a t fe a r can d is r u p t peace b o th w h e n ^ ls e x c e s s iv e (as In a n c ie n t tim e s ) and when^ Is la c k in g a lto g e th e r (as d u rin g th e p la gu e o f A thens) and ^ a m b itio n can e it h e r prom ote c i v i l i s a t i o n (as In th e case o f the A th e n ia n s ) o r cause c i v i l war (as In C orcyra).
I t can be s a fe ly assumed t h a t Thucydides d id n o t b e lie v e e it h e r th a t h is d u a l dilemma c o u ld e ve r be s o lv e d o r th a t th e mere u n d e rsta n d in g o f th e fu n c tio n o f fe a r and a m b itio n In p o l i t i c a l a s s o c ia tio n s were s u f f i c i e n t to p re s e rv e f u t u r e g e n e ra tio n s fro m w ar and the d is s o lu tio n o f s o c ie ty . (66) Indeed In th e H is to r y one can f in d numerous h in ts o f h is b e l ie f th a t h is t o r y Is bound to re p e a t I t s e l f and t h a t no f i n a l s a lv a tio n w i l l e v e r be a tta in a b le .
In t h i s re s p e c t, Hobbes's p o s itio n Is d ia m e tr ic a lly opposed to
T h u cyd id e s'. In fa c t, Hobbes's pessim ism does n o t e x te n d e it h e r to th e a b i l i t y o f th e p o l i t i c a l p h ilo s o p h e r to decypher human In te r a c tio n s o r to th e a b i l i t y o f mankind to heed h is message. In th e E p is tle D e d ic a to ry th a t p re fa c e s De Cive^ Hobbes goes as f a r as s u g g e s tin g to have fou n d th e fo rm u la f o r e te r n a l peace;
I f th e M o ra ll P h ilo s o p h e rs had ». d is c h a rg e d t h e ir d u ty ». I l f ] th e n a tu re o f human a c tio n s [w e re ] d i s t i n c t l y knowne ». th e s tre n g th o f A v a ric e and A m b itio n ... w ould p re s e n tly f a i n t and la n g u ish ; And Mankinds s h o u ld e njoy such an Im m ortal I Peace, t h a t ». th e re w ould h a rd ly be l e f t any p re te n c e f o r war. (67)
Thus, d e s p ite th e s t r ik in g s i m i l a r i t i e s In t h e ir d ia g n o s is o f th e u lt im a t e causes o f th e d is s o lu tio n o f s o c ie ty and o f th e necessary c o n d itio n s f o r I t s s t a b i l i t y , T hucydides and Hobbes show a d if f e r e n t a t t it u d e tow ards th e m a te r ia l u nd e r s c r u tin y , t h a t can perhaps be e x p la in e d In term s o f th e d if f e r e n t ta s k s o f th e h is t o r ia n and o f th e p o l i t i c a l p h ilo s o p h e r: th e fo rm e r w ants to e x p la in th e course o f h is to r y , th e l a t t e r alms a t d ir e c t in g It.
Whereas In T hucydides' account fe a r , a m b itio n , and g a in a re s tro n g p assion s th a t keep th e s o u ls o f th e p ro ta g o n is ts o f th e H is to r y In perm anent tu r m o il and th e re a d e r Is never a llo w e d to hope th a t c o n tr o lle d fe a r w i l l e v e n tu a lly p r e v a il and o rd e r triu m p h , Hobbes's w r it in g s exude th e c o n fid e n ce o f th e p o l i t i c a l p h ilo s o p h e r th a t tr u e u n d e rs ta n d in g can a l t e r human b e h a v io u r and th a t mankind w i l l
(67) De Clve, pp. 2 5 -6 (emphasis In th e o r ig in a l) ; In L e v ia th a n Hobbes n o tic e s th a t “ though n o th in g can be Im m o rta l, which m o rta ls make; y e t, I f men had th e use o f reason th e y p re te n d to , t h e ir commonwealths m ig h t be secured, a t le a s t from p e ris h in g fro m In te rn a l d is e a s e s .", p. 308.
e v e n tu a lly r e a lis e t h a t p o l i t i c a l s a lv a tio n Is fe a s ib le th ro u g h th e a r t i f i c e o f a p o w e rfu l S ta te t h a t e x p lo it s th e n a tu r a l fe a r o f people to r e s t r a in p rid e and greed, th u s p re v e n tin g th e c o lla p s e In to anarchy.