VAuroch comments on Rationality Quotes August 2014 - Less Wrong

8 Post author: RolfAndreassen 04 August 2014 03:12AM

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Comment author: RolfAndreassen 04 August 2014 03:45:21AM 4 points [-]

Well... most of what we "know" about the Spartans was written down by their enemies, and may be inaccurate. It is not at all clear that any actual Spartan ever said the words you attribute to them; it may be Plutarch making things up to illustrate how he thought a city ought to work. Which doesn't necessarily make it bad rationality, but does mean it is fictional evidence, not historical.

Comment author: VAuroch 04 August 2014 09:06:39PM 3 points [-]

We have significant amounts written by the Ancient Greek equivalent of a Sparta otaku, Thucydides. He lived there for a significant period (IIRC, he was in exile from Athens at the time) and was firsthand familiar.