From Cicero to Trump, they’re all in Plutarch’s ‘Lives’

Hugh Liebert

Wall Street Journal | 2017

“Today statesmen are scouring Thucydides for some rule so timeless that it applies to modern America just as well as it did to ancient Greece. To the extent that any such rules exist, Thucydides is surely a worthy guide. But Plutarch suggests that citizens and politicians need a different kind of education. The goal is teaching them to practice good judgment and hone their ability to discern when a proposition holds true and when it does not.”

Image courtesy Architect of the Capitol

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