ARTICLES ARCHIVE

 

You can find a complete listing of all the articles on this site here. They are listed in reverse chronological order, and are all clickable links. Twenty-five articles are displayed per page, with the publication date included. To find older articles, click on the page numbers at the bottom.

To search the site by subject, topic, or name, you can use the “Search” function on the right sidebar.

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  • Petrarch Reflects On Ignorance And Happiness

    The great humanist Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) had opportunity to reflect on the fact that the more he gained in knowledge and experience, the less and less certain he became of his own judgments.  These thoughts were recorded in an essay called On His Own Ignorance And That Of Many Others (De sui ipsius et multorum…

  • Jan Scruggs And The Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial

    I was recently watching the film Maya Lin:  A Strong Clear Vision.  It is a 1994 documentary about the architectural work of Maya Lin, the designer of the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial on the Mall in Washington D.C.  One of the key figures interviewed in the film was an honest-faced, frank man named Jan Scruggs.

  • The Need For A Fighting Ideology

    There is a scene at the end of the film Apocalypse Now where Colonel Kurtz delivers a monologue on the ruthless tactics of the Viet Cong guerrillas.  He relates how the Viet Cong had come and “hacked off” the arms of child villagers that the Americans had inoculated as part of an effort to win…

  • A Tasmanian Travel Experience (Podcast)

      I interview Ace Johnson, the co-founder of the knife manufacturing company Delta2Alpha, about his recent extended trip to Tasmania. Great experiences and adventure…with a 18 mile march to the airport thrown in for good measure.

  • Xenophon On Cyrus’s Leadership Qualities

    Xenophon’s Anabasis is one of the primary classics of ancient Greek literature.  For students of ancient Greek, it has served much the same function as has Caesar’s De Bello Gallico has for Latin; that is, it has been used as a foundational text in the study of the language.

  • “I Don’t Feel Challenged By My Job” (Podcast)

      I comment on an article written by a junior officer who doesn’t feel challenged by his job and is disillusioned with it.  This is the article I’m referring to: We’re Getting Out Of The Marines I respond with some thoughts of my own.

  • John Locke’s Theory On The Education Of The Young

    In my Thirty-Seven, I wrote at length (Ch. 7, “A Program of Education”) on the educational views of the Renaissance humanist Paolo Vergerio.  His ideas stressed the importance of character and discipline as the foundations and prerequisites for intellectual study; not to master one’s desires, he knew, was fatal to any meaningful progress in education.

  • Questions On Dealing With Negative People And Thriving In A Politically-Correct Environment (Podcast)

      Today we deal with two separate questions from two different readers: 1. How do I get rid of negativity in my life from people around me? 2. How can I get along best in a politically-correct environment?

  • The Wreck Of The Brig “Polly”: Staying Alive At Sea With Ingenuity

    I recently came across a remarkable story of endurance and survival.  It hammers home the point–made repeatedly on this site–that when disaster strikes, one must dig in and use all available resources to fight on to final victory.

  • Hard-Core Travel Survival Tips From Robert Young Pelton

    I recently wrote an article that featured some great adventure travel equipment tips from Robert Young Pelton, the hard-core author of The World’s Most Dangerous Places.  As I was thumbing though my old copy of this classic (my edition is one of the first, and dates to the mid-1990s), I realized that there is some…

  • Questions About Carelessness, Frivolity, And Career Choices (Podcast)

      This podcast answers unrelated questions from two different readers: 1. What did I mean in a certain sentence from “Thirty-Seven”? 2. What guidance should a young guy get who isn’t sure he’s in the right career?

  • Sir Stephen Spender’s “I Think Continually Of Those Who Were Truly Great”

    Here’s something for you to start (or end) your week with.  I hope it speaks to you. It resonates with me, and celebrates some of the themes of Fortress of the Mind.

  • You Can’t Save People Who Won’t Participate In Their Own Rescue (Podcast)

    This podcast discusses the following topics: 1. How some knowledge comes suddenly, and some gradually.2. Discovering the Nautilus bodybuilding system in college.3. How leadership principles are absorbed gradually.4. How you can’t save people who won’t save themselves, and why this is the most difficult thing for a man of action to accept.   Click below…

  • Robert Young Pelton’s Travel Gear And Equipment Tips

    Robert Young Pelton has done what the rest of us should aspire to do:  he’s turned a love for travel and adventure into a career.  He’s the author of The World’s Most Dangerous Places (which has gone through multiple editions), as well as a journalist, documentary producer, and television personality.  His specialty was producing on-the-spot…

  • Why You Should Follow Your Passions: The Example Of Michael Punke

    Some time ago I wrote a review of a film I admired very much, The Revenant.  I’ve recently learned more about the author of the book on which the movie was based.  His name is Michael Punke, and his story provides a good example of why you should stick to your guns and pursue your…

  • Are Psychic Phenomena Real? (Podcast)

      In every culture in every historical age, there has been interest in some version of psychic phenomena. But are these phenomena “real,” or simply delusions? And how can it help us in our quest for answers?  I offers some suggestions based on my own travels, studies, and experiences.

  • The Giving And Receiving Of Advice

    Advice requires two participants.  One must offer it; and another must receive it.  If it is offered without first having been solicited, it generates resentment, however small and incremental.  And if it is requested, the counselor must yet take care not to overstep his boundaries, for fear of providing insight that is too pungent.

  • “Should I Join The Military?” (Podcast)

      I receive an email from a guy who feels like he needs a career change.  He’s lost his motivation and drive in his present job, and feels it’s time to move on. He is considering the military, but doesn’t know if it is the right thing to do.

  • Coping With Extreme Adversity (Podcast)

      What traits and habits enabled men to survive extreme physical danger or adversity? In this podcast, we look for some answers in accounts of the First World War.

  • Candido Rondon: Brazil’s Greatest Explorer

    In the annals of American exploration, few names are as distinguished, and perhaps as little known, as that of Marshal Cândido Rondon.  As an officer in the Brazilian Army in the late 19th and early 20th century, he revealed more of the Amazonian basin to the world than any single other figure.  His incredible toughness, personal…

  • The Massurrealism Of James Seehafer

    I had the good fortune recently to speak with James Seehafer, the founder of the artistic school known as massurrealism.  A fellow New Englander, Seehafer studied at Parsons School Of Design.  He then began exhibiting his paintings in the northeast, including Boston and New York City (specifically in the Lower East Side).  His work was…

  • No Rest For The Wicked

    Boccaccio’s On Famous Women is one of those good books that no one has ever heard of.  It is a collection of short essays on some notable women of history, and the author includes characters both good and bad.  Queens, schemers, seducers, prostitutes, patriots, and rebels all have a place here. I find these old, forgotten…

  • “I Feel Like I’m Missing A Purpose In My Life” (Podcast)

      A reader emails me and says that although he has found success in his life and career, something is lacking. Something is missing. He says that he is lacking a real sense of higher purpose.

  • Talking And Fighting: Being Alert To “Stacking The Deck” In Negotiations

    I find great profit in the study of the art of negotiation.  Where two opposing wills collide, it is essential to understand the dynamics of the interaction, so that one may have some chance of achieving the desired outcome. When one has conducted numerous negotiations in his career, one begins to see patterns emerge.  These…

  • How Do I Know When It’s Time To Change My Life? (Podcast)

      A reader is troubled by where he is at in his life right now. He wants to make major life changes involving career and residence, but doesn’t know if the time is right.

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Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642.  From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.