Corruption and the Fatal Power of Envy: Revisiting The Classical Republican Tradition

Abstract One hurdle to the systematic study of corruption is the plethora of definitions, none of which seems to meet the test of applicability across times and political systems. This, in turn, leads to difficulty in assessing the reasons underlying corruption and explaining its levels in various contexts. Thus, it may be useful to recur to the classical republican notions, particularly the conflation of the public and personal, the degree to which the republic relied upon a virtuous and selfsacrificing citizenry, and the problem of individual desire and envy. The more modern 18th century British concept twisted the equation and drew a boundary between the public and the private such that individuals needed to squelch their private desires in favor of public virtue. Later termed positive and negative liberty, this fundamental divide became the threshold of corruption. How can individual rights be protected from government intrusion? Conversely, how can governmental rights be protected from individual intrusion? How can free, independent humans govern themselves? Such fundamental questions remain central to contemporary American culture. This paper suggests that a return to Classical Republican Tradition, particularly the writing of Thucydides and the concept of “fatal envy” can shed new light on the dialectical nature of public and private liberty and of the issue of corruption.