democracy and athenians scholars Flashcards
Hans Van Wees on Solon’s intentions?
“Intention was to create fairer laws for all and a fairer judicial process.”
“Main aim to reduce the fierce competition for power”
“In Classical Athens, the role of the common people in court was regarded as an essential feature of democracy just as much or even more than the role of the common people in public assemblies and political office.”
Hans Van Wees on the importance of the law courts for democracy
Robin Osborne on Solon and the law courts?
“Solon introduced the basic framework of the law courts.”
Tom Hooper on the importance of the people’s support for Cleisthenes?
“If it hadn’t been for those Athenian citizens themselves and the Boule being willing to resist, Cleisthenes’ whole effort might have been stillborn.”
Who says “The Council of 500 was very deliberately designed to prevent the emergence of any official long term cliques or factions that could secretly control administration in Athens.”?
Tom Hooper
Who says “It is unlikely that the nature of politics changed significantly” after Pericles ?
Robin Osbourne
Robin Osbourne on the difficulties of running a state, which can be related to Plato’s criticisms?
“The big problem for any state in running its affairs is balancing the advantages of the experience and expertise on the one hand and the dangers of corruption on the other.”
Who says “One could make an argument that some of the basic features of democracy actually start with Solon”
Edward Harris
Edward Harris on military success as it related to democracy?
The victory over the Persians at Marathon gave democracy a certain legitimacy
- this can be linked with Herodotus, who says the same about Cleomenes’ attempted attack of 506BC
How does P. Cartledge describe Pericles’ Funeral Oration?
“Less of a hymn to democracy in a constitutional sense than to the Athenian democratic way of life more generally”
Carey on Pericles’ Funeral Oration?
“Ancient commentators made not Cleon, but Pericles the first of the demagogues”
Sommerstein on Wasps?
“There is doubtless exaggeration and prejudice in Aristophanes picture of the jurors”
Bowie on if Aristophanes only used politics to create laughs?
Aristophanes is engaged in political issues but he is ‘not preaching but probing, demonstrating excesses, warning perhaps, but leaving the answers to the spectators’
K Popper on Plato’s republic?
He says that Plato essentially betrays the questioning nature of Socrates, by presenting a totalitarian system where philosophy becomes the enforcing rather than the challenging spirit of society.
C. Carey on Aristophanes’ reliability?
the element of comic distortion means that the evidence of comedy must be approached with caution
