Hubris in Democratic Athens

Prof Hugh Bowden
IoPPN, 04 April 2019

Prof Hugh Bowden. Credit: Tom Prater / Maudsley Philosophy Group.
Prof Hugh Bowden. Credit: Tom Prater / Maudsley Philosophy Group.

Professor Hugh Bowden of Ancient History, King’s College London, speaks on one of the Maudsley Philosophy Group’s themes, Power and Personality, with particular reference to ‘Hubris’ in ancient Greece.

 

 

“Hubris in Democratic Athens: The Athenian democracy identified a specific offence of ‘hubris’, punishable by law. At the same time leading Athenians were expected to use the institutions of the democracy in a competition for ‘honour’, to the extent that many of the elements that David Owen has identified as criteria for ‘hubris syndrome’ were considered as positively desirable in Athenian politicians. In this paper, I will explore the way in which the Athenians as a body, and individual politicians, negotiated these expectations, and consider what the relation is, or should be, between hubris and democracy.” – Bowden

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to the discussions.

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