R: This House Prefers Athens to Sparta

The Peloponnesian War pitted two very different societies against one another. Athens was a democratic state where education, the arts, and philosophy were the most important and Sparta was a military state where strength, discipline, and fighting prowess were valued above all else. Though the conflict between Athens and Sparta ended more than two millennia ago, the pair of states conjure highly different ideals in the minds of those who turn their attention to the ancient world. So, should those of us living in the twenty-first century embrace Athens or Sparta?

Those in the affirmative will view democracy and deliberation as core components of a flourishing society. Athens did not extend the franchise to every one of its denizens, yet its assembly serves as a model for democratic life today. There was social stratification and the city’s culture was less than egalitarian, but in Athens, logos mattered. Athenian society developed a rich high culture: some of the best literature and art in all of human history comes to us from classical Athens. In addition to this, it is known for being the home of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle’s Lyceum. Many of the perennial questions of philosophy were first raised in Athens. If the intellect and reason are most characteristic of the Athenian ideal, it is thumos, or spiritedness, that best represents Sparta. 

Spartan virtues are martial virtues. There is not an exact translation of thumos, but it is used to express the human desire for recognition and a sort of righteous or elemental anger or drive. While Spartan society was not democratic or artistic, it was certainly orderly. When one thinks of what it means to be “Spartan,” something like an image of a lean soldier sleeping on the bare ground appears. Sparta was a military state that prized discipline, self-control, and duty. It is also worth noting that women had much more power and sway in Sparta than in Athens. Through its communal nature, Spartan culture inculcated selflessness and egalitarianism in its members. Sparta successfully discouraged materialism and moved its citizens to be committed to the polity.

In the modern day, does America need more Athens or more Sparta? What does Athens represent? And Sparta? What are the benefits and pitfalls of each system? Do these differences map onto the politics of our day in any way?