Some time ago I argued that America is transitioning in a way similar to the old Roman Republic when it became an Empire with Caesar and then Octavian. Before the change from Republic to Empire the Romans valued debate and if not full democracy, at least a voice – or voices – among various well-heeled… Read More The new Bing Chat plays it safe when (not) talking about Donald Trump
Hubris (Greek: hybris) is a term often found in literary criticism to denote some kind of tragic flaw that brings disastrous fortune to a character or group. The idea has a complex history in anci… Source: Hubris – Do criminals really want to get caught? – Earthpages.org Opinion: I wrote about hubris a few weeks ago… Read More A little more on the idea of Hubris | Opinion re Toronto Mayor affair
And for you old-school folks: FYI, Billy Preston recorded with the Beatles on “Get Back” in 1969. The only non-Beatle to get credit for playing on a Beatles recording, although Alan Parsons also got credit for his technical wizardry on Abbey Road. And then there’s Stevie Wonder, who was eclipsed a bit by Michael Jackson… Read More The State of the Union – A musical commentary
This morning on GPS Fareed Zakaria argued that the “secret sauce” behind America’s ongoing success is its creativity, innovation, and ability to contain discontent without going off the rails. Last night while watching the Ken Burns film on Thomas Jefferson, I endured several historians preaching much the same. America is the place. Not just the… Read More Will America’s “secret sauce” make it the best choice for the future?
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher whose work emphasized society and politics. He is often described as the founder of modern political philosophy, although some attribute that honor to Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) who outlined in ruthless detail how to be an autocratic leader. Concerning religion, Hobbes makes a distinction between knowing that… Read More Thomas Hobbes – Life isn’t just nasty, brutish and short
You’ve probably noticed that I have reverted to a theme I used a long time ago. It’s not as wide as the previous theme but gives more control over the appearance of the blog. During the conversion, I noticed that WordPress.com is entirely about “blocks” and the old way of editing seems to have almost… Read More Just fixed a couple of links… and a minor Sunday afternoon grumble
So you wanna blame everyone but yourself for your screwups? Well, if you’re a 21st-century ruler, just remember your Roman history, and all should go as planned:
We’ve seen Trudeau get angry and authoritarian in parliament itself. When he was still new to the job, he caused an uproar in the House with his physical behavior. NDP MP Tracey Ramsey said the prime minister swore as he approached Brown and the opposition benches. “He said ‘Get the bleep out of the way,’” she said, adding… Read More Opinion | Does Trudeau have anger issues?
Hopefully, many people are starting to see that the future belongs to those who will be able to fill the post-technocratic void. Source: Scientism: A Dying Faith? – The American Mind Opinion: For a long time, I have talked about scientism in contrast to good, honest, and humble science. The two are as different as… Read More Scientism: A Dying Faith? – The American Mind | Opinion
A bit of history Hellenistic civilization refers to the ancient Greek people and their culture after the death of Alexander the Great (323 BCE), extending to the beginning of the Roman Empire in 31 BCE. Hellenistic Greece was gradually losing the unity and political power enjoyed during the classical period but remained a respected cultural… Read More Opinion | The Hellenistic Age – Culture on the skids or just a lot of change?
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