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The Mystic Conviction Of Ibn Musaed
The mystic Yunus Ibn Yusuf Ibn Musaed was born around 1132 into the Mukharik family, of the tribe of Shaiban (بنو شيبان). The subdivisions of this tribe occupied an area called the Jazira, a region covering what is now eastern Syria and upper Mesopotamia. He would later found an order of dervishes that came to…
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The Top 11 Essays And Podcasts Of 2020 At Fortress Of The Mind
As 2020 staggers to a close, it is time to review the year’s eleven most viewed essays and podcasts here at Fortress of the Mind. The misery of the year’s events was in some way mitigated by its productivity in writing. I list them below, in descending order. Now would be a good opportunity to…
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J.M. Carpenter’s “Lives Of The Luminaries”
For the student of politics and public affairs, there are few fields so richly rewarding as study of historical figures. We find that the same circumstances, the same problems, and the same challenges present themselves again and again; and the solutions crafted in one era, even if not fully applicable to another, at least provide…
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Jack London In The Abyss
In 1902 Jack London resolved to travel seven thousand miles from California to England. His stated purpose was to lose himself in the docks and slums of London’s squalid East End, and see what he might learn from the experience. One might reasonably ask why he would do this, when numerous examples of urban misery…
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Should I Stay Or Should I Go? (Podcast)
A reader writes to ask for advice on whether he should travel to the US to attend college. His family wants him to stay where he is, but he longs for wider horizons and new opportunities. Each option has advantages and drawbacks.
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Sustained Effort Is Needed For Grand Designs
Great enterprises require a sustained effort over a long period of time. They cannot be pursued in fits and starts with intermittent bursts of energy; and they demand a confluence of factors that only coalesce on rare occasions. There must exist the ability and talent to conceive the project; there must be intense initiative and…
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The Apple
There is an allegorical short story written by H.G. Wells entitled The Apple. Several men in a “third-class carriage on a Sussex railway,” each absorbed in his own thoughts, begin to talk among themselves. One announces that he is in possession of what he calls an “apple from the Tree of Knowledge,” and that he…
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Real Kings Are Not Common
We live in times of feeble leadership. Those who occupy public offices often seem more willing to advance their own interests than those of the citizens they represent; they tremble at the thought of taking any action or initiative that might involve risk on their part. And so the citizenry suffers to buttress the careerist…
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Operation Eagle Claw: Disaster In The Desert
In early November 1979, rioting Iranian students entered the American embassy in Tehran and seized fifty-two government employees. Whether this was a spontaneous act, or a planned operation by Iran’s revolutionary government, is still open to debate; but in either instance, the nation’s clerical leadership moved quickly to exploit the crisis. In the United States,…
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“Am I Too Quiet And Withdrawn?” (Podcast)
A 20-year-old man working in law enforcement tends to be quiet and introverted. He’s serious and goal-oriented. Some of his colleagues mistakenly put a negative spin on this, and this is causing him to wonder if he needs to make some personality changes. We offer some thoughts on the situation.
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Flee From Those Who Drain You, And Seek Those Who Sustain You
There is a certain truculence that must figure in the disposition of an independent spirit. He who strays from the approved paths through the forest must be prepared to swing his machete with vigor and persistence at the tangles of vegetation that obstruct his forward movement. He will seek to test the boundaries of the…
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Should I Start A Business? (Podcast)
A reader who was a professional poker player for a number of years is getting restless. He wants to start a business, but has some questions about how he should go about doing it. We offer some ideas.
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Sorrow Is Not The Right Response To Time’s Rapid Passage
In his short biography of the poet Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson makes the following comment:
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He Who Believes In His Powers, Works Only To Please Himself
Samuel Johnson makes the following comment in his Lives of the Poets when discussing the life of the seventeenth-century poet John Gay:
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Dr. Johnson On Moral Philosophy As A Cornerstone Of Education
We have here very frequently discussed the necessity of training in character and the virtues as a lifelong activity. This subject is the concern of moral philosophy: that is, the study of conduct and the virtues. It is through moral philosophy that a man’s passions are bridled, directed, and channeled for positive use. Without this…
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Of Cowardice And Magnanimity
The philosopher and naturalist Theophrastus of Eresos succeeded Aristotle as head of the Peripatetic school; and while he may not have had his predecessor’s visionary profundity, he more than compensated for this with a genial manner, relentless curiosity, and a genius for organization. Like the Prussian naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt, there was nothing in the…
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Some Recent Questions (Podcast)
In this podcast, I answer some recent questions on a variety of subjects: family, relationships, homelessness, and school choices.
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An Eclipse Confirms General Relativity
Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, first published in 1915, proved to be a revolutionary way of looking at the universe. The three dimensions of space were combined with time to create a unified whole; and this space-time grid, instead of being fixed and static, could be warped in certain circumstances.
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The Grandeur Of Acquiring Knowledge
Sidonius Apollinaris, who died in 489 A.D., was a diplomat, literary figure, and ecclesiastical official of fifth-century Gaul. He was also a letter-writer of impressive fecundity and erudition; and his powers of memory were so great, we are told, that he was able to recite long liturgies from memory and deliver orations without notes or…
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George Washington’s Leadership Qualities
George Washington generally preferred a restrained style of leadership. By this I mean he was economical with his words, careful in doling out both praise and recriminations, and mindful that his actions would resound more loudly with subordinates than his statements. He understood the principle that, when leading men, sometimes a leader had to turn…
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Conscience As The Theater Of Virtue: The Justice Of Saladin
I very much like the following maxim of Cicero’s: Nevertheless, no theater for virtue is greater than one’s conscience. [1] What he meant by this was that one’s own conscience should guide the performance of good works. He was expressing his disapproval of those who did things for the purpose of gaining public favor, instead…
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Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard” (Podcast)
This podcast is a reading of Thomas Gray’s poem Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard. It is a stately meditation on mortality and glory, themes that appear frequently in Stoic writings.
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Washington’s Debts, And The Necessity Of Tact
George Washington was keenly aware of the psychological pressures of being in debt. He once advised a nephew on the subject:
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Do What You Love, Because Life’s Going To Kick You In The Head No Matter What You Do (Podcast)
A reader asks if he’s making the right decision by leaving his corporate job and going to law school. He is uninspired by his current job, feels restless, and wants to fight against the injustices he sees around him. He is intelligent, organized, and motivated to change. I offer some thoughts on his decision.
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
Quintus Curtius 
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