Few stories have resonated through human protohistory quite like the Fall of Troy. Epic poems have been written about it. Historians believe that some of the story is based in fact. To this day, most people are at least familiar with the Greeks’ winning stratagem. Even now, some people know the names of the major players. However, very few might be able to tell you the moral of the story. In the ancient world, myth often filled the role of fable. One would think that a story as tragic, as bloody, and as enduring as Troy would have a moral.

Of course, some would point to the old, “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” — but temporal, tribal hatreds are not the basis of a moral. A bit closer to the point, while still missing it, is a line from the BBC sitcom “Red Dwarf” — “Beware of Trojans, they’re complete [idiots]” — but snark does not a moral make either. Despite these misses, there is a moral to the story of Troy, one that is best understood in the context of the Trojan hero Aeneas, and one that is relevant to anyone who cherishes liberty. However, to understand the moral, one must first know what the moral warns against.

A Pretense of Knowledge