In Thucydides' account of events and their interpretation, there is nothing metaphysical. He insists that human nature ("the human") is the constant factor that shapes historical events.

From surface phenomena, he seeks the underlying causes that act beneath the events. Thucydides' work bears the hallmark of the philosopher Anaxagoras: "the appearance of things is not clear" (from the superficial "appearance" that we can see, we can discern what is not visible).

Moreover, the person who acts for Thucydides is, above all, the politician, the dynamic citizen of a specific city, followed by the generals. Capable politicians and generals are those who can assess the strengths and weaknesses of their city, as well as calculate the capabilities of their opponents.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]