ABSTRACT
The ancient Greeks' conceptions of power are embedded in the writings 1 of fifth- and fourth- century playwrights, historians, and philosophers. They enrich our understanding of power in several important ways. They highlight the links between power and the purposes for which it is employed, as well as the means used toward these ends. They provide a conceptual framework for distinguishing enlightened from narrow self-interest, identify strategies of influence associated with each, and their implications for the survival of communities.
