As we turn to the Greeks and others who know the matter well, we should consider personal revenge. In conflicts at work, or in bitterness over a failed relationship, one thinks of getting even, imagining the pleasure of it while remaining alert to the dangers. Such private fantasies are exceedingly common, and if they have not been formally consulted so far, they have quietly informed our inquiry. It may seem, for example, that a certain sympathy with vengeful feeling – for a grieving spouse or victim – has enabled us to perceive a liberal deficit. Knowing these fantasies and their limits in ourselves, we may suppose that we have special insight where they are concerned, that we can perceive their bearing and proper limits within the present world. We might think that we can know them and control them even as we control our tempers.