The Artistic Triumph of Pericles
On the Aesthetics of Money
The Golden Age of any society may be in retrospect and imperfect, but its catalyst is a strong system of money and banking that leads to new heights of cultural and artistic achievement. In antiquity, as it is today, the prime mover was freedom of thought and action for all citizens. For any era, there may be no greater exponent than the Athenian general and statesman, Pericles. As historian Thucydides wrote and attributed to Pericles:
If we look to the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences...if a man is able to serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition. The freedom we enjoy in our government extends also to our ordinary life. There, far from exercising a jealous surveillance over each other, we do not feel called upon to be angry with our neighbor for doing what he likes...”
This is equal justice under law, democratic participation in governance and tolerance for differences of culture and faith. In this environment, persuasion becomes the tool by which men govern their social lives and money becomes the tool by which they govern their economic lives. Notwithstanding the dominance of slavery before the Enlightenment, the combined socioeconomic system – when properly defined, was capitalism, even in Pericles’ time:
We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about. As for poverty, no one need be ashamed to admit it: the real shame is in not taking practical measures to escape from it.
Furthermore, historian Jared Krebsbach wrote that it was Pericles who understood the vital connection between sound money, international trade, political liberty, a thriving culture and the empire to defend it:
Although Athens was the leading state in the league, the ships and gold the alliance collectively used were initially held on the island of Delos. Other prominent cities, such as Delphi and Olympia, had significant sanctuaries that were also notable treasury houses. These early temple-treasury hybrids were safehouses for various goods, including votive offerings, cult statues, weapons, gold, and silver. The shrewd Athenian statesman Pericles (495-429 BCE) saw great economic potential in this system.
Spiritually, it was believed the gods were protecting the assets. Realistically, it was the fortresses built by architects, craftsmen, and the original producers of wealth. But in either case, during the 5th century BC in Athens, banking was a highly developed profession of talented and respected men. Without this organically developed and self-sustaining system, the Parthenon and Trireme warships would have been impossible:
We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality ...”
During the time of Pericles great influence and leadership, not only did the playwrights Aeschylus and Sophocles create amazing live drama, but as educator Michael describes in his book, the Habit of Thought, philosopher Socrates was teaching his methods of thinking and learning to Plato:
His accomplishment was in raising the standards of knowledge from that which was conventionally known to that which was rationally defensible. Accomplishing this may involve contradicting widely held norms of politeness or some kinds of beliefs concerning the best ways to cultivate self-esteem. It is commonly considered rude or disrespectful to as “Why?” persistently.
And because there’s no time like the present, here are some persistent questions. Why is money devalued? Why are prices degraded? Why are markets denigrated? Why is profit demonized? Why are money lenders harassed? Why is capitalism smeared? Why is Israel hated? Why is individualism slandered? Why is ability punished? Because even Pericles understood they are good:
In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas; while I doubt if the world can produce a man, who, where he has only himself to depend upon, is equal to so many emergencies, and graced by so happy a versatility as the Athenian.
Perhaps the principled and idealized Athenian was best dramatized by Sophocles in the character of Antigone, but don’t take my word for it. Philosopher Leonard Peikoff does a far better job:
This is one of the first pro-man statements in Western Civilization. And its not a surprise, therefore, that it comes from one of the most individualistic plays ever written. What is amazing philosophically is that it precedes both Plato and Aristotle. It gives you an example of how virtuous the pagan Greeks were.
In short, we need to forget about becoming activists and changing the world until our own ideas and actions are rationally defensible. After all, the cause of every social problem is the desire for the unearned.
Instead, author Ayn Rand Institute CEO Tal Tsfany teaches, “You need a new vision of who you can be and what you can achieve in this life. The best way to do this is through art.” That is The Moneyball Method. Create the vision. Take calculated risks. Learn from experience. Measure success.