Before concluding, there is still s

Before concluding, there is still something to say about the supposed ‘clarity’ (tò aadés).We encounter the word three times in rapid succession (60.2, 4; 61.1) In the first instance the author explains that clarity about the truth of the accusations made by the informant proved at the time (as well as later) unattainable. In both of the other instances, he emphasizes that the Athenians only believed that they had clarity.This word-just as the question of 'accuracy' (tò àkpiBés) at the beginning of the excursus, taken together with the problem of human indifference vis-à-vis the truth-once again leads back to those sections of the first book, where Thucydides is discussing the goal and method of his work. In the concluding sentence of his program (1.22.4) Thucydides states that he wishes for readers who desire clarity (tò capés) concerning 'what happened and concerning what-in accordance with the human condition'--will again be such and similar'.