Melian Debate

In Thucydides’ History of the Pelopennesian war, there is a chapter entitled The Melian Debate. The Melian Debate is a debate between Athens and Melos, about whether the Melians will surrender to Athens, or if they will go to war with Athens. The Melian argument is that Athens is not doing what is just for Melos. Justice means to do what is right, so Athens trying to take over an almost defenseless country is not just. The Athenian argument is that they can conquer Melos because Athens is stronger. They also justify themselves by saying that they follow the law of nature. The Athenians say “Our opinion of the gods and our knowledge of men lead us to conclude that it is a general and necessary law of nature to rule whatever one can. 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 k...