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A line I found interesting was when they discussed how their democracy works in the interest of the majority and not the few. I find this oddly relevant to our current systems in the US, with some billionaires paying less in income tax than minimum wage workers, who is the system really serving?

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In this story it takes conquest and somewhat embellished magnificence of battles to justify and build up the Athenians values of war and respect to the dead, specifically soldiers. Through conquest they seem to base their society, but the plague, a powerful disease both physically and mentally was able to completely turn public opinion on war on its head. Because disease is given such power should it be considered to bring about good change from values like conquest and war or is it more of an entirely destructive force?

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Why do some groups and societies become less lawful in the face of adversity (such as epidemics) while others become more reliant on rules and governments?

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Is fear really the reason why we obey laws? Why did the Athenians completely disregard laws and social norms when the plague struck?

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Evan Norcross                               The arrogance of a society has been proven a multitude of times to be the greatest fatal flaw of great societies throughout history. A false feeling of invincibility is obtained by the people and the government, but this feeing can quickly morph into terror and  irrational vexation when challenged by an organism that does not contemplate strategy. Humans are designed to thrive, and often times this can inflate our egos as a species, but disease is designed to survive. This is the same concept that we have been witnessing with the coronavirus, so how can we modify our governmental, communication, travel, and health systems that are designed to satisfy our desire to thrive to become more adaptable in the face of potential pandemic causing ailments?

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Evan Norcross                               The arrogance of a society has been proven a multitude of times to be the greatest fatal flaw of great societies throughout history. A false feeling of invincibility is obtained by the people and the government, but this feeing can quickly morph into terror and  irrational vexation when challenged by an organism that does not contemplate strategy. Humans are designed to thrive, and often times this can inflate our egos as a species, but disease is designed to survive. This is the same concept that we have been witnessing with the coronavirus, so how can we modify our governmental, communication, travel, and health systems that are designed to satisfy our desire to thrive to become more adaptable in the face of potential pandemic causing ailments?

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By romanticizing heroism, often times where the hero is killed in battle, does society glamorize death? But also instill a fear of death from something deemed not "honorable" (i.e. disease)?

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Could we almost compare this to the present, where war will overshadow all other problems? For example some funds meant for the battle against the coronavirus were instead given to the military.

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Is a life taken through war more honorable than a life taken through illness, given that a person willingly sacrifices themself by joining the armed forces? Or is it just as honorable for a person to be taken away by a dreadful and tragic illness that no one had control over?

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Why did the orator seem so opposed to eulogies, regarding them as something that he will only do the necessary amount of and no more?

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Did Athens ever experience a societal change due to the forced realization that all are equal in death?

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How did they eventually contain the epidemic?

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How were the deaths of the soldiers killed in battle versus the deaths of the victims of the plague characterized? How did Athenian values influence this? Was it justified?

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How is the breakdown of Athens' cultural norms similar to how our own pandemic is affecting us socially/culturally?

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When people are faced with inevitable death and destruction, is it a common theme historically for them to turn to immoral activities and living life to the fullest (even if it is immoral) due to the lack of perceived consequences, or does it vary across cultures, time periods, and societies?

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How can we maintain our values of character and our beliefs in the midst of a pandemic? How can we, even if we are ill and have little time left to live, continue to act morally?

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In battle, soldiers gave their lives willingly. During the pandemic, life was taken without "consent" and didn't have a greater purpose. Can we attribute the conflicting reactions of the Greeks during the Peloponnesian wars and Athenian plague to the circumstances in which death occurred?

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Does it make sense for people to give up hope and do immoral things in the face of adversity or illness? Should we be living for the short term or long term pleasures of life?

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If the city was governed under such values of intellect and vigor, how was it acceptable for pleasure to become the new normal, and for people to live life with the mindset that they were simply going to die soon?

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Is it logical for people to throw concern out the window in the face of death and begin living for the short term instead of the long term?

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If the Athenians continued to face the disease as they had waged their wars, would they have come to the same result? Is this what we must all do: face our vulnerabilities rather than run and hide from them?