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Sunday Film Roundup (5/15/2016)
We now consider a few of the most recent films I’ve seen. I should have started doing this a while ago.
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The Inscrutable St. Patrick
The first modern, comprehensive biography of St. Patrick was written by the scholar J.B. Bury, who was a professor of history at Cambridge University for many years. As usual in a work by this great author, it is thoroughly sourced and documented, and yet retains a readability and freshness that makes it timeless. He relates…
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Francesco Guicciardini And The Realities Of Power
The current political crisis in Brazil sharply divides the opinions of those who are interested in such matters. To some, Dilma is more sinned against than sinning. In this view, she is the victim of a shadowy (possibly US-inspired) desire for “regime change light.” Journalist Pepe Escobar is an insistent exponent of this view.
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The Writer Lu Hsun Reflects On Death
Those acquainted with modern Chinese literature tell us that Lu Hsun (1881-1936) is one of its most towering figures. His stories are of the most intimate type: he chronicles his thoughts, feelings, and impressions in a free-flowing manner, unrestrained by convention or rule. He did not subscribe to any political affiliation, preferring to remain beholden…
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Mentorship, Progressive Blindness, And Finding The Good In Things (Podcast)
We deal with two questions in this podcast. A reader asks whether he needs a mentor to find success. In the second part of the podcast, we hear from the writer Jorge Luis Borges on how he triumphed over his blindness by creating a new reality for himself. He tells us how he was able…
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A Few Recent Movies
I watch a lot of movies. You’d be surprised at the ways that movies can generate new ideas in you, or take you in new directions. I haven’t written any film reviews in a while, so I thought this would be a good time to take a break from some of my more serious posts…
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The Art Of Consolation
There used to exist a literary genre called the consolatio, or consolatory essay. It is the type of thing that would be written by one person to another on the event of some terrible personal tragedy, such as the loss of a loved one. Sometimes (e.g., in the case of Boethius) the writer simply wrote…
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No One Can Be Assured Of Having Tomorrow
I have finally finished the complete translation of Cicero’s On Duties. It has been an exhausting, laborious, maddening, and joyous experience. There still remains a lot of work to do before it is finally ready for publication: revising, editing, adding more textual notes, indices, explanatory essays, and a few other things. But the end is…
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How Can I Improve My Test Scores? (Podcast)
One reader thinks his test scores in school could use some improvement. He sees some mediocre people getting good test results, and wants to know how he can improve this skill set. I offer some suggestions that apply not just to academic tests, but to other fields of life.
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The Emperor Julian’s Advice: Know Your Offspring
Julian (A.D. 331-363) was one of the most fascinating emperors of the later Roman empire. While a full description of him and his reign is beyond our scope here, a few words may be said. He spent a great deal of time and energy trying to revive paganism, only to see his hopes dashed on…
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Augusto Santos-Dumont: A Great Aviation Pioneer
I much prefer to be in a country that has a strong sense of nationalism than one which does not. One tends to respect those who respect themselves. One also tends not to respect those who have no sense of tradition, heritage, or pride in their nation’s past. Societies infected with the globalist ethic have…
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If You’ve Done Something Unforgivable, Forgive Yourself (Podcast)
A reader is distressed about something he has been accused of at his university. He seems to be tormented by guilt. I explain how important it is for us to forgive ourselves when we’ve done something wrong, and move on.
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The Theory Of Progress Of The Abbé de Saint-Pierre
I have lately been testing the durability of the idea of human “progress.” It is a subject that has interested me now for some time. We recently examined the idea of progress advocated by Fontenelle. We will now turn to another important French thinker who played a significant role in the idea of progress, a…
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I Don’t Know
It is a cliche that knowledge is power. But sometimes, not knowing something is also power. There is power in saying “I Don’t Know.” Let me explain what I mean.
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Why America Lacks A “Warrior-Patriot” Ethic
Columnist Andrew Bacevich recently wrote an article for the Dallas Morning New entitled “Why America’s All Volunteer Force Fails To Win Wars.” The article makes the point that something is seriously wrong with the US military. While most of the article is couched in politically-correct innuendo and a studied avoidance of the real problems, it…
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Fontenelle’s Theory Of Progress
The first Western thinker to come up with a comprehensive theory of “progress” was Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657-1757). His importance today rests on the fact that he was a promoter and popularizer of the ideas of Rene Descartes in the face of the sustained attacks that Cartesian ideas came under from established religious…
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Pure Talent Is Never Enough: The Case Against Leonardo Da Vinci
Everyone thinks of Leonardo da Vinci as the paragon of Renaissance virtue. He could paint, design, and use intuition as an aid to creativity, when he felt like doing so. But a closer look at the record paints a picture of a chronic procrastinator, a man of dubious reliability, and an idler who was more…
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The Death Of Che Guevara
The visage of Ernesto “Che” Guevara has graced countless t-shirts, posters, and other kitsch memorabilia. He has assumed the status almost of a secular saint, the supposed defender of the poor and marginalized. Few who concern themselves with such things, however, know much about the man himself, or about his murderous legacy.
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General Vo Nguyen Giap: How I Won The Vietnam War
Vo Nguyen Giap (1911-2013) was the architect of the Vietnamese victory in the “Second Indo-China War” (called in the United States the “Vietnam War”), which took place from 1960 to 1975. He must also be credited with winning the “First Indo-China War,” which was waged against the French from 1946 to 1954. He proved to…
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“Roadside Picnic”: The Insignificance Of Man
The science fiction genre is filled–too filled–with stories about what might happen if extraterrestrials came into contact with human beings. It is a favorite subject of writers, who use the theme to explore deeper truths about man and his place in the universe. And this is all well and good.
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“How Do I Split My Time Between The USA And Overseas?” (Podcast)
A reader has a business in the United States but wants to begin traveling and living abroad. He eventually wants to split his time between the US and Colombia. What is the best way to do this? I offer some suggestions. “All that will be left, eventually, will be the grin of the Cheshire cat.”
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Raid On Dieppe: Anatomy Of A Disaster
Nations that have been victorious in war like to talk about their triumphs, but less often their failures. It is for this reason that the Allied raid on the French port city of Dieppe remains an obscure incident of the Second World War. But it should not be. For it can be argued that in…
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When Expediency Conflicts With Moral Goodness (Podcast)
A reader feels frustrated because it seems that he is not being rewarded for his ethical behavior. He thinks unethical people are being rewarded wrongly. He sees a conflict between what is ethical, and what is advantageous, and wants to know how to resolve it.
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You Are The Captain Of Your Ship
I recently saw again the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994), after not having seen it for a few years. It’s always interesting to revisit certain classics (book, film, or work of art) as the years go by, and observe how your perceptions change. I had a chance to read a little bit more about how…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
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