On The Melian Dialogue

In which John discusses The Melian Dialogue, a story of Ancient Greece, the Peloponnesian War, the city-state of Athens, the island of Melos, Thucydides, and 21st century human life.

----

[michaelflattery]

"Human life is not a zero-sum game."
I can think of quite a few people who could do with internalizing this.

[marniekarger]

Or, as Paul Wellstone said, "We all do better when we all do better."

[RangaBonsai]

Isn't it amazing how a dialogue centuries old still reverberates so strongly in modern times, despite the technological feats that we have achieved, and the civilisations we have developed, some nature of power, and humanity remains unchanged. It's trivial when you think about it. Thank you for the meaningful Melian inspired video! see you next week.

[jimntom]

Powerful stuff and glad you got that hair cut you needed.

[thewinterizzy]

I think part of the problem recently is how extreme everything is... You’re either for or against something. It’s me vs. you. Us vs. them. We as a society (at least what it feels like to me in America) have practically made having complex perspectives or fluctuating/growing opinions a bad thing, implying we’re wishy washy or won’t take a stand for/against something. It’s okay to learn and grow and help others. 💛

[carly]

I remember hearing John quote this in the pod too. Feels like the pod is where several video ideas originate, or at the very least, begin to be verbalised and thought through out loud

[tehb]

But DID you schedule your next haircut???

[CJonestheSteam]

John, I trust your year off from social media does not include YouTube? This is my highlight of Tuesday

[gabby]

Thank you, John (and Hank), for vlogbrothers videos that make me believe in YouTube as an educational platform!

[sdfghjksdfgh]

Bought my copy of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing today. Still somewhat shaken about baby Hank writing a novel.

[williamcfox]

The human quest for power makes more sense when you explore Thucydides. The Athenian envoys explain at Sparta that their empire was derived first out of *fear* .
When the Persians threatened all city-states, it was the terrified Athenians that banded the region together to resist. Only later did they find the glory and profit of empire, building what we see in the Melián dialogue.

When you see power as a means of coping with fear, the argument is more compelling.

[luciabee]

Sometimes I'm just amazed that these videos are always four minutes long or shorter. You say so much so clearly in so little time. It's like when beauty pageant contestants have 30 seconds to answer complex questions and they nail it

[SamanthaBurger]

I just handed in a thesis paper for my political philosophy class on the concepts of Liberty and Equality. Specifically, looking at if they are compatible ideals or conversely, contradictory ideals. (I settled on a balanced complementary). This video is so aptly timed! Thanks John for even more to ponder :)

[wess]

immediately below this on my feed is "we will all go together when we go" by Tom Lehrer.

[brwneyedgirlx]

I almost commented "THIS. IS. SPARTA." as soon as John said "Sparta" but after finishing the video it doesn't feel particularly appropriate. Either way, thanks for making me think today, John.

[RozuruTheShinigami]

I genuinely love how Hank and you put things into words. Because I suck at expressing my thoughts, they even get a bit forgotten. You remind me of all I believe in, and how humanity has grown and could keep getting better, and all the reasons why I love this communnity. I wish everyone saw the world the way you do.

[NateandNoahTryLife]

I think weak is often times a misnomer... Refugees, victims of violence and people with horrible diseases: these people are often the strongest. They keep living in spite of immense odds against them. It’s important to recognize the efforts of those who have to work 10 times as hard as we do just to exist.

[aprilmeadows]

Wow. I wish more people understood that "more for me does not necessarily mean less for you."

[JakeBroe]

"This is not a law that we made ourselves, nor were we the first to act upon it when it was made. We found it already in existence, and we shall leave it to exist for ever among those who come after us. We are merely acting in accordance with it, and we know that you or anybody else with the same power as ours would be acting in precisely the same way."

[vedanttalreja]

Honestly these are my favorite kind of John videos