Thucydides as a Resource for Teaching Ethics and Leadership in Military Education Environments

Abstract

The author describes a method for teaching Thucydides to military officers in the context of professional military education which integrates military ethics. Using the ‘Great Books’ method of classroom discussion, the author's experience of teaching Thucydides for five years at the United States Army War College suggests that this is a highly effective method of exploring a wide range of topics in military ethics.

Keywords:

• Military ethics
• Thucydides
• civil–military relations
• military strategy
• classical military strategy
• Nicias
• Pericles

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the government of the United States, the United States Air Force, or the United States Air Force Academy.

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the government of the United States, the United States Air Force, or the United States Air Force Academy.

Notes

The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the government of the United States, the United States Air Force, or the United States Air Force Academy.