History and Fortune
From a certain, and extremely common perspective, history can be seen as the rise and fall of individual leaders. According to this perspective, the story of Rome did not belong to the people… Continue reading
Tag Archive: history
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Knowledge as a Kind of Friendship
Everyone knows what knowledge is, but knowledge itself can be difficult to think about. What does it mean for a person to be knowledgeable? If someone knows a lot about one thing, but… Continue reading
Advice from Ancient Warfare
In ancient times, when people needed to think strategically, it was less about personal beliefs, and more about defending themselves from scary, foreign armies. Still, some of their techniques can be useful for… Continue reading
Apology for the Media
Of all the things people love to complain about, and there are a lot of them, the media is surely near the top of the list. But the media is really a wonderful… Continue reading
The Real Problem with Slavery
First off, let me be eminently clear: slavery is not only wrong, it is evil. There is no justification for holding an innocent person in captivity and making them labor against their will.… Continue reading
On Glory
Why did ancient people do heroic things? According to the Iliad, the Odyssey, Beowulf, the Song of Roland, and just about every other epic, people did amazing things for a simple reason: Glory.… Continue reading
Viking Anxiety
Everybody loves Vikings. Well, maybe not medieval monks or nobles. But everyone today loves Vikings. Those seafaring raiders who made a mockery of city walls and delusions of safety. The Vikings were strong,… Continue reading
The Gift of Humility (And Charlemagne)
Humility is defined as a modest or low view of one’s own importance. It is the act of being humble. Many people are afraid of being humiliated. This is when something happens to… Continue reading
Ordeals of Power
The relationship between rulers and the ruled has always been contentious at best. Who gets to be in charge? Why them, and not someone else? Is power a burdensome responsibility, or is it… Continue reading
What Humans Leave Behind
Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are all the cesspits of civilization. This might sound like a controversial statement, and I suppose it is, but it is not controversial with aims to harm… Continue reading
What Would the Founding Fathers Think?
I have never really considered the Fourth of July to be a holiday, at least not on the level of Christmas. I suppose this is because for most of my life I have… Continue reading