As you leave the mainland of Rhode Island while driving east on Route 128, a long elegant coastal span stretches gracefully over Narragansett’s west bay named the Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge. Architecturally it’s a modern box girder bridge that provides a smooth continuous sweep across the water without ornate features and it provides access from North Kingston RI to Conanicut Island and the quintessential New England seaside town of Jamestown. Continuing east, a towering suspension bridge links Conanicut Island to Aquidneck Island and the seaside port city of Newport to Jamestown. The Claborne Pell Newport bridge is one of the largest suspension bridges on the east coast, it dominates the entrance to Narragansett Bay’s east passage rising 1600 feet and connecting the two-mile span. The two bridges offer stark contrasts of the aesthetics in architecture as each defend the east and west passages of the majestic Narragansett bay.

Just north of the Newport Bridge lies a marina and stone building that most aptly would be described as a citadel. This is the home of the Newport War College (NWC) which was established in 1884 as an advanced learning institution for mid to high level officers across all branches to provide professional education and multidisciplinary programs in strategy, policy, and national security. According to their website, their mission is stated as:

The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) delivers excellence in education, research, and outreach. In today’s dynamic security environment, even if numerical and technological superiority could be achieved, it would not be enough to ensure victory over an array of potential adversaries. Graduates must possess the mental strength and flexibility to out-think competitors in all domains. The U.S. Naval War College deepens the intellectual engagement of naval, joint, interagency, and international leaders and warriors to achieve that cognitive advantage.

In the modern world, is there anything to be learned from ancient history?

The Naval War College values history as a tool to teach lessons and narratives to enhance learning, even when considering modern warfare. One such pertinent lesson would be of Nicias, who was a leading figure in Athenian politics, aligned with the conservative, aristocratic, and peace first oriented faction during the of the Athenia city state. Nicias (c. 470–413 BCE) was a wealthy Athenian statesman and general during the Peloponnesian War, best known for his caution, piety, and ultimately tragic end. Thucydides was an Athenian historian and general, best known for writing the history of the Peloponnesian War, one of the most influential works in western history. Thucydides wrote of Nicaea as being deeply religious and risk averse and politically aligned with the more conservative, peace seeking faction in Athens. Thucydides describes him as a decent but overly cautious leader caught in events larger than himself.

Nicias preferred peace with Sparta and helped negotiate the Peace of Nicias in 421 BCE, a temporary truce in the long-lasting Peloponnesian war. He advocated for stability but the peace between Athens and Sparta was fragile and ultimately failed. The Athenian Assembly was swept up in excitement about expanding power into Sicily, largely driven by the bold vision of Alcibiades. When Nicias argued against the campaign, the public didn’t retreat, they doubled down, seeing the expedition as an opportunity for wealth and dominance. Nicias unintentionally strengthened the case for the invasion. By laying out how large and well-prepared the force would need to be, he made himself appear as the most knowledgeable and capable leader for the job. In a society where generals were expected to serve when called, refusing afterward would have looked like cowardice or disloyalty. Despite his reluctance for aggressive campaigns, Nicias was later forced into leading the disastrous Sicilian Expedition where Athens attempted to conquer Syracuse. The mission ended in catastrophe: the Athenian army was destroyed, and Nicias was captured and executed.

Nicias lost his way the moment he let ambition outweigh reason, logic and his own convictions. He dismissed careful counsel, ignored the limits of his forces, and trusted in hope over logic, a fatal choice that led Athens into catastrophe and himself to an ignoble death. The loss of ships, men and a leader in Syracuse, Sicily was tragic for Athens as a political power.

Fortunately, the ideals of democracy, philosophy and the arts spread throughout the Mediterranean providing a building block for western civilization. Most importantly, the men and woman who attend the Naval War College and similar institutions learn these critical lessons to keep us all safe.

And now you know...

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.