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The Sirens Seduced Not With Song Or Pleasure, But With The Prospect Of Knowledge
Many readers, no doubt, have heard the Homeric fable about the Sirens. These were the alluring mythical creatures who, by using their advanced powers of song, were able to divert mariners who happened to sail by the rocks they inhabited in the Mediterranean Sea. Their voices were supposed to be so seductive that sailors could not…
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“On Moral Ends” Lecture Series: Part 1
This podcast is the first of a series of three podcasts that will discuss Cicero’s treatise On Moral Ends. I have just published an illustrated, annotated translation of this rich and nuanced work, and wanted to introduce readers to the book’s major concepts and arguments. This podcast discusses the following subjects:
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Dr. Johnson Makes An Eloquent Petition For Clemency
It is a noble thing to intercede on behalf of another’s worthy cause. But the cause should be a worthy one; we must work to manage expectations; and, when every effort has been exerted, we must know when to let matters take their own course. Advocating on behalf of another in this way could almost…
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One Should Avoid Dangerous Places: The Rescue Of Euthymios And His Brethren
When considering tales from the lives of the great saints, we should be more mindful of the moral imparted by the story than strictly attentive to the accuracy of its details. We must take into account the perspective of the writer, his proximity to the events he describes, and his moral purposes. To do anything…
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“How Can I Mentor Someone Else”? (Podcast)
A reader tells how he had a very good mentor when he was young. As an older man, he now wants to be a mentor to a young person, but is not sure of the right way to go about it. We offer some suggestions.
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Euthymios Declares His Life’s Road
At some point in every man’s life, he must declare the road he wishes to follow. This statement may be openly verbal, or it may be spoken indirectly, through actions and deeds. It does not matter how the statement is made: the point is that it is made, whether the man is aware of it…
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Movie Roundup (10/14/2018)
Venom (2018) Director: Ruben Fleischer One of the things that makes Venom so refreshing is its old-school feel. The characters are not preachy, obnoxious, or offensive, and you never get the sense that the director is trying to push any kind of agenda on you. It’s just a good fable, engagingly told. This is an…
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“On Moral Ends” Is Now Available
My illustrated, annotated translation of Cicero’s De Finibus (On Moral Ends) was released today. Purchase details can be found by clicking on the image above. An audio version will be also soon be available. This article will explain the unique features of this highly original translation, and why it represents a new direction for what…
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The Right To Evolve
Anyone who has ever cleaned out his basement or attic has certainly come across writings or photos from earlier years. We are likely to wince upon reading things we wrote ten, fifteen, or twenty years ago, to the same degree that we shake our heads in bewilderment at seeing old photos of ourselves. This is…
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Legends Related To The Conquest Of Spain
Musa Ibn Nusair (موسى بن نصير) lived from 640 to 716 A.D. and served as the Umayyad governor-general of the province of Afriqiyya (North Africa). It was he who planned and directed the Arab conquest of the Gothic kingdom of Spain. The biographer Ibn Khallikan, writing in Baghdad in 1274, sketched the outline of his…
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Film Roundup (10/4/2018)
I haven’t done any film reviews in a while, so maybe it’s time to talk movies again. Here are a few recent experiences that I felt moved to write about.
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George Forster Travels Overland From Bengal To England
Little is known of the early life of British explorer George Forster. His travel memoirs, published in 1808 after his death, were edited by persons who apparently never considered that such information would be of interest to readers. We can thus only rely on what we find in scattered letters and journals. He was probably…
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Ictus Animi: The Smiting Of The Mind
We are unlikely to arrive at any awareness of things while sitting within the confines of our domestic barricades. Enlightenment requires perception; perception, sensory input; and sensory input, direct experience with the world of the living outside our familiar habitations. The leisure of contemplation, and the enticements of philosophical reflection, allow for the refinement and…
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Keep Moving Forward, No Matter What Happens (Podcast)
We discuss the importance of continuing to move forward, no matter what happens, and no matter how many bad things happen to you. Everyone’s luck changes for the better sooner or later, and you have to be in the game when it happens. We compare and contrast the experiences of Nikki Sixx of the rock band…
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The Liberation Of The Mind
From birth we are surrounded by the inherited and imposed belief systems of our environment. Such systems exert a silent force on our thinking; they channel our behaviors within defined limits, and demarcate the boundaries of conventional thought. They can become so pervasive that they escape even our own notice. We should not necessarily see…
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The Sorrow Of The Grammarian Of Basra, Iraq
Abu Faid Muwarrij al-Sadusi was a grammarian from the city of Basra, Iraq. We do not know the precise date of his birth, but he is reliably said to have died in the year A.D. 810 (year 195 in the Islamic calendar). His biographer Ibn Khallikan says that he studied at the school of Abu…
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Arthur, The Three-Legged Dog (Podcast)
A reader asks about how he should handle a limitation he believes he has. We respond by telling him an anecdote, and drawing the appropriate lessons from it. We close on a humorous note by reading some recent tweets by the G Manifesto. Humor may indeed be the healthiest tonic.
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Captain George Francis Lyon’s Explorations In Africa
There is a certain type of Englishman who is not content with confinement in any one locale. He seeks new vistas, new challenges, and the chance to test his mettle against geography, climate, and the decrees of Fortune. We have chronicled a number of such men in these pages. To this list we must add…
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On Idle Or Trifling Speech
There are some who say that idle talk has no purpose, and should be avoided. Yet in many cases it serves valuable purposes: it enables us to test ideas or plans on our friends, and solicit their opinions; it enables us to relieve stress; and it enables us to pass the time in conversational pleasantry. …
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Travel Tips And Impressions: Athens, Greece
In this podcast we cover travel tips and impressions learned from my recent trip to Athens. The following areas are covered:
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Xenophon’s Dream, And The Power Of Character
When a man is under the duress of extreme events, he sometimes finds himself wracked by indecision. He will mull over various courses of action in his head; he will script out different scenarios in his imagination; and he will ponder his predicament from multiple perspectives. And yet, when he has finished with these troublesome…
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An Interview With “Online Great Books”
I was recently interviewed by Online Great Books regarding different aspects of my translating and writing work. It was a great discussion. The interview can be found here.
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The Olympieion
A short distance south-east of the Acropolis are the remains of a colossal temple called the Olympieion, or the Temple of Olympian Zeus. It was begun around 520 B.C. with the expressed purpose of being the largest and most impressive such structure in the Greek-speaking world, but it fell victim to political fortunes. Work on…
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Kerameikos: The Spirits Of The Dead
Today I visted a site called Kerameikos in Athens. It was a cemetery for many centuries, and contains numerous examples of funerary art. The site was only rediscovered in 1861 during road construction in the neighborhood. On the site is also located the famous Dipylon Gate, which was the main entrance into Athens during ancient…
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Some Observations On Classic Greek Art, And Its Lessons For Today
I have spent the past two days in Athens seeking out some of the monuments of classic Greek art. I have tried to see as many works of art and architecture as was reasonably possible, and thought I would here provide the impressions gained from these observations.
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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