Sphinx

We have already had a number of ‘Thucydides explains Coronavirus’ takes, of varying degrees of silliness – and the first sign of a fractal effect, whereby Graham Allison’s ‘Thucydides Trap’ misreading of Thucydides generates ‘Coronavirus Thucydides Trap’ misreadings of Allison misreading Thucydides – but I would dare to suggest that we’re already past the worst. Writing to students, the Dean of College at the University of Chicago eschewed the usual discussion of new rules and practical measures in favour of a rather idiosyncratic form of reassurance. His former graduate adviser had told him an anecdote about the dark days of 1942, when his superior officer reassured him with reference to Thucydides: wars rarely turn out in way you expect them to at the outset.

It might seem a bit of a stretch to draw an analogy between the Peloponnesian War and the current pandemic – but the Dean has a much more ambitious imaginative leap in mind:

History provides insights into the powerful impact of institutional structures, traditions, and deep cultural patterns, beyond the quirks of individual human choices, in determining historical outcomes. That is, there is a powerful lesson, which I believe offers hope for us today, embedded in the arguments of one of the greatest of ancient historians and his magnificent work about the dire struggle between the Athenians and the Spartans in the Fifth Century before the Common Era. Thucydides reminds us of the resilience of common institutions and sustaining values, and above all of the importance of holding together in support of the human communities that undergird and constitute those institutions. Even dark moments are transitory, and crises can end with bright spots from everyday heroism.

Yes, that’s exactly Thucydides’ point in showing how Athens responds to the plague and Corcyra deals with political divisions and Athens then copes with catastrophic military defeat. Resilient institutions, sustaining values, bright spots of everyday heroism. </SARCASM>

The charitable interpretation – involving at least as many intellectual gymnastics as the original claim – would be to argue that Thucydides does show us the importance of social institutions and values by highlighting their fragility and the dire consequences when they do start to collapse. But manifestly that’s not what is being said here – that would be a very different sort of message. If the man has ever actually read Thucydides, it must have been an awful long time ago, and probably skipped the plague narrative.

In which case what we have here is another example of the powerful image of Thucydides as the man who knows, the man who understands the workings of the present and future from the distant past – but in place of the usual cynical realist, with no illusions about the fact that everybody dies and most people die miserably, we have Thucydides as Pollyanna. Don’t worry, be happy. It’ll be fine. Fear not, folks, if we stay true to our values we will come through this and…get to invade Sicily.

And this from a university that still prides itself on studying the Great Books. Maybe that doesn’t involve actually reading the things, but knowing the names – and of course they wouldn’t be Great if they didn’t say the right things, like the inevitable triumph of Good over Evil and the inherent benefits of capitalism. Thucydides is a cornerstone of our values; these are our values; so Thucydides must say something along those lines.

The current world health crisis, like all great but also terrible moments in history, will impact our lives in many unknowable and frightening ways. But it will also pass, and in passing it will reaffirm our confidence in the fundamental logic of our institution, in the productive and creative learning of our community, and in the extraordinary dedication and courage of you, our students.

Because manifestly the core message of coronavirus is that the education offered by the University of Chicago is superior to every alternative. Thucydides must have been an alumnus. This doubtless explains his prominence in one of the Chicago Maroons’ fight songs – which in turn is probably why the Dean thought this was the best Great Western Author to evoke…

Themistocles, Thucydides,
The Peloponnesian War,
X squared, Y squared,
H2SO4.
Who for? What for?
Who we gonna yell for?
GO, MAROONS!

Update: I’ve been reminded by @SethLSanders on the Twitter of the great Danielle Allen’s address in 2001 at the same University of Chicago, a model of how one might reflect on Thucydides in times of crisis…

https://college.uchicago.edu/student-life/aims-education-address-2001-danielle-s-allen