A rational analysis of the consequences of a decision does not make the decision rational; the consequences do not determine our decision; it is always we who decide.
the Open Society And Its Enemiesby karl Popper
Our laws, said Pericles, “afford equal justice to all alike in their private disputes, but we do not ignore the claims of excellence. When a citizen distinguishes himself, then he is preferred to the public service, not as a matter of privilege, but as a reward for merit; and poverty is not a bar.”
The early Greek tribal society resembles in many respects that of peoples like the Polynesians, the Maoris for instance. Small bands of warriors, usually living in fortified settlements, ruled by tribal chiefs or kings, or by aristocratic families, were waging war against one another on sea as well as on land.
aristocratic / society / tribal / War / warriors