‘Eschewing the familiar east versus west, tyranny versus freedom readings of Herodotus, Lindsay Mahon Rathnam’s subtle analyses illustrate how the historian’s narrative stories and reflections, as exercises in the comparative study of diverse cultures, escape relativism and become an education in the ongoing process of judgment. This venture into comparative political theory via Herodotus significantly enhances our understanding of the fraught place of judgment in our political lives and will greatly benefit all readers of this wonderful book.’

Arlene Saxonhouse - University of Michigan

‘In this fresh look at the father of history, Lindsay Mahon Rathnam argues that Herodotus studies the customs of others not because he is a relativist but rather because he seeks to discover and communicate a substantive good shared by all human beings. By masterfully weaving together various stories in the Histories, Rathnam shows that for Herodotus the good is an equality and freedom most fully realized in the narrative by Scythian nomadism and Athenian isegoria or equal speech. The commitment to equality is also reflected in the metanarrative of the Histories as Herodotus does not present self-evident truths but rather invites readers into his stories to experience what he experiences and hence judge for themselves. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in what ancient thinkers can teach us about freedom and pluralism in contemporary democracies.’

Ann Ward - Baylor University