Is Plutarch Truthful? Big changes for CoG; Media Appearances, a REQUEST.

The ancient future.

Feb 21, 2024

A couple of weeks ago I wrote on the importance of reading (and writing) history for the purposes of inspiration. In particular, that we should get over our anxiety about "hero worship."

But one reader pointed out - Doesn't this raise the question of how truthful Plutarch is as a historian?

Stewart and Long in their introduction Plutarch's Parallel Lives (a late 19th century version) wrote:

"Without denying that Plutarch is often inaccurate and often diffuse; that his anecdotes are sometime absurd, and his metaphysical speculations not unfrequently ridiculous, he is nevertheless generally admitted to be one of the most readable authors of antiquity, while all agree that his morality is of the purest and loftiest type."

Here's my take: Lofty morality aside, Plutarch is in fact one of our more reliable historians from antiquity. He is not quite a Thucydides or Polybius: he is not an eyewitness to any of the lives of the men described in Parallel Lives. But he is certainly more reliable than many classical historians (Diodorus Siculus and Appian come to mind, bless them).

I would put Plutarch about on par with, or perhaps slightly above, Herodotus, the first great historian, the "Father of History." Herodotus was often thought to be fanciful even in antiquity, and Plutarch criticized him in an essay On the Malice of Herodotus (mostly Plutarch was mad over Herodotus' low opinion of Thebes and Boeotians).

But scholars often discover new bits of evidence that vindicates' Herodotus general honesty.

Both writers have in common that they will not shy away from telling a good story even if they aren't sure it's true - but they will usually have a way of signaling to you that they aren't backing it with their full confidence. (On Plutarch's historical reliability, this book by Chris Pelling is a good place to start).

One reason for academics' frequent distrust of Herodotus' and Plutarch is the phenomenon by which good writers can make us believe in the people and events they recount, regardless of truth. Here are Stewart and Long again, from the same 19th century introduction to Plutarch:

"No one is so well able as Plutarch to dispel the doubt which all schoolboys feel as to whether the names about which they read ever belonged to men who were really alive; his characters are so intensely human and lifelike in their faults and failings as well as in their virtues, that we begin to think of them as of people whom we have ourselves personally known."

(Thanks for directing me to these quotes, Elijah Olson)

Good writing can deceive us sometimes. But bad writing will certainly fail to make us "believe" even if the content is true. Yet the important thing for reading in the "monumental history" mode, in the eyes of men like Nietzsche and Emerson, is that we beleive it, and see ourselves in it.

Big Changes for Cost of Glory

Good news:

Yesterday I finalized a deal to sell the family business I've been working at, and managing, for the past few years. This process has been consuming my attention for several months. There will be some wrap up for a few weeks, but my plan is to move into producing the Cost of Glory podcast full time, and get more great lives of great men out at a faster rate.

Thanks for your support over these years - it has kept me going!

Media Appearances

-Listen to the Cost of Glory episode I did with renowned author and historian Barry Strauss on Spartacus!

-I had a great conversation with fellow substacker and podcaster

Yuri Bezmenov

on his show, about the decline of the Classics and my hopes for the future. Here’s the episode.

-Tristan Hughes had me on The Ancients podcast to talk Sulla, my favorite dictator of all.

A REQUEST

As I've mentioned on the show lately, I'm working with a team to put together a new kind of IRL event.

The easiest way to characterize it is to say, we're building a Republic of Letters for the internet era. We are thinking about the mechanics of high culture, how to refine ourselves for excellence in writing, thinking, and speaking, and how to forge relationships with other people interested in bringing about a new Renaissance.

This will be something complimentary to, but quite different from the CoG Men's Rome Retreat - most likely shorter and US-located, but also significantly more ambitious and exceptional. It's going to be expensive, so it’s for a select group of you guys, but I promise it will be unlike anything else out there.

If this intrigues you, then you’re probably in our target market. To help us deliver the event you’re dreaming of, I really want to hear from you - please fill out this survey:

Start Survey

I also have other more accessible events and travel experiences in the works - hope to update you on those in the near future!

Stay Ancient,

Alex