Reflecting on freedom and the prerogatives of democracy. A long-standing debate

Abstract

Talking about democracy and freedom will always involve going back to the origins and contingencies that determined this model of collective life, which means considering a long and complex process that took place in ancient Greece. This is a widely debated topic today, with very controversial positions and results. There are plenty of testimonies, allowing for conflicting considerations that result from the anachronistic comparison we tend to make with our experience today. Within this discussion, we intend to return to the consideration of two texts taken from classical historiography: the debate on forms of government, in Book III of Herodotus’ Histories, and Pericles’ speech in honour of the fallen in battle, in Book II of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.