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The Ovation Givers
The lawyer and epistolarian Pliny the Younger, in his correspondence with a friend, vented his anger on the sycophantic atmosphere surrounding certain courts of his era. The centumviral courts—so called because they were composed of pools of one hundred men (centum viri)—were courts of equity dealing primarily with civil matters. Offended by the insolence and…
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Courage And Cacozelia
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Soviet intelligence officer who first began work for his country’s security services in the late 1940s. During the 1950s, he was sent on various overseas missions; but he was apparently ill-suited to field work, and was reassigned to a desk job as an archivist.
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Four Factors Affecting The Credibility Of An Argument
The rhetorician Quintilian, in his study of the orator’s education (IV.2.52), stated that there were four factors affecting the credibility of a forensic argument. By forensic argument, we mean a speech or writing that examines past events and evidence in order to evaluate culpability.
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Certainty And Reasonable Probability Are Totally Different Things
The Stoic philosopher Ariston of Chios was said to have believed strongly that the wise man should avoid making absolute judgments. Certitude, he felt, was neither possible nor desirable.
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On The Punishment Of False Prophets
De poena prophetarum falsarum. If a leader cannot base his decisions on verifiable truth, or on the closest approximation of what he believes to be the truth, he will not escape calamity. He must surround himself with advisors who have his, and not their own, interests at heart; and he must seek independent confirmation of…
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The Times Must Be Right For Extraordinary Characters (Podcast)
For a great personality to flourish and find expression, the historical times must be favorable. History is filled with examples of great men who withered in obscurity simply because the periods in which they lived were unable to hear their voices. Greatness can only accomplish so much; it must be nurtured by propitious circumstances.
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The Ten Most Popular Essays Of 2024
Below are listed the most visited essays of 2024. Not surprisingly, the movie pieces showed considerable traffic. But I did not expect a few essays from much earlier years to resurface: as the waters of time churn and seethe, what was once submerged can often break through the surface. The essays are listed in descending…
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Always March On Rome
It can often be instructive, in the study of history, to play the intriguing game of “what if?” We are inclined to believe in the inevitability of historical events, simply because things turned out as they did; yet we tend to forget that different decisions might have produced very different outcomes. Thought experiments also help…
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Shipwrecked On Inaccessible Island
When Napoleon was finally imprisoned on St. Helena, the British government thought it prudent to occupy a small volcanic island named Tristan da Cunha, which was located about twenty degrees south of St. Helena. It was assumed that, if the wily French emperor attempted an escape from his island lodgings, Tristan da Cunha would present…
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The Causes Of The Rise And Expansion Of The Ottoman Empire
Among the most remarkable events of the late medieval period was the rise and growth of the Ottoman state in Anatolia and beyond. George Finlay, in his seven-volume history of Greece, called the Ottoman Empire “one of the most singular creations of human genius.” In the empire’s early centuries, at least, we cannot disagree with…
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Eurotrip 2024 After Action Report
Every man should periodically make an intense sojourn. The destination matters less than the journey itself, for it is the act of discovery that soothes the turbulent soul. I recently returned from a 10-day trip to Europe, during which I visited Amsterdam, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. I wanted to summarize my impressions here. You have…
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The Story Of Marcus And Barbula
In November of 43 B.C., Rome was gripped by a terrible sense of foreboding. The historian Appian, in his Civil Wars (IV.1.4) relates that all kinds of strange portents were observed around the city. Statues sweated blood; a newborn infant uttered words; lightning struck sacred temples; and cattle spoke with a human voice. So alarmed…
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Pursue The Phoenix
One of Saladin’s advisors was a man known by the honorific title Al-Qadi Al-Fadil (“The Excellent Judge”). We will not try the reader’s patience by recording his protracted real name, but we will note that he lived from 1135 to 1200. Great conquerors in history always seem to be accompanied by wise counsellors; perhaps there…
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How To Offer People Hope And Inspiration (Podcast)
As a leader or someone responsible for another person, you will often need to provide hope when your people are in dire situations. You must master techniques and strategies for alleviating people’s stress and anxiety, and for taking them across the finish line. Sincerity cannot be faked. You have to care, and to show you…
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Speaking At The 2024 Stoicon In Melbourne, Australia
I was grateful to have been invited to speak (via Zoom) at the 2024 Stoicon in Melbourne Australia. I was asked to say a few words about Cicero’s Stoic Paradoxes, which I had translated in 2015. The video of my presentation is below:
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Marcus Valerius Confronts A Gaul In Personal Combat
There is a story told in Livy (VII.26) of a raven’s fortuitous intervention on behalf of a Roman soldier engaged in personal combat with a Gaul. This event, if indeed it is not apocryphal, occurred in 348 B.C. during the consulship of Lucius Furius Camillus.
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Ruses In War, And Schemes In Negotiation
There is a humorous scene in the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid that you may be familiar with. Paul Newman’s character (Butch), when confronted by a rebellious member of his gang who wishes to displace him as leader, is challenged to a knife fight.
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Implementing A Plan, Or Avoiding Action
There is a tendency in conflict situations for inaction to take precedence over action. In his chapter The Suspension of Action in War (III.16), Clausewitz explains why this is so. Three determinants, he says, “function as inherent counterweights” to the impulse for positive action.
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The Diffusion Of Knowledge
During a recent panel discussion at the World Economic Forum on Green Energy, former American Secretary of State John Kerry made the following rather disconcerting statement:
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With More Success Come More Responsibilities And Burdens (Podcast)
Some people think that as they become wealthier and more successful, their lives will resemble that of an idle aristocrat. They believe they will finally reach a point of perfect comfort. The reality is very different. With more success come more work, and more responsibilities, not less. You will have to develop a whole new…
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Straining At A Gnat, And Swallowing A Camel
When we focus on what is insignificant, we are likely to neglect what is most crucial. He who fixates on the irrelevant escrescence overlooks the significance of the larger structure. It is with good reason that this admonition is of old date:
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Our Job Is Fighting
Quintus Fulvius Flaccus was a commander and politician of the Roman Republic who ascended to the consulship in 179 B.C. There is an interesting story about him found in the ancient historians, which we will relate here.
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The Calculus Of Survival (Podcast)
What are the traits and qualities that enable a man to survive in extreme adversity? How do different factors increase or decrease a man’s odds? And what lessons can be drawn from the experiences of others? We weigh the competing variables, and try to arrive at some conclusions.
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I Was Shipwrecked Even Before Boarding The Ship
A beautiful feature of proverbs and aphorisms is their flexibility of interpretation. Different readers can find in them varying interpretations based on their own experiences and perceptions. Some proverbs admit only a narrow degree of interpretive variance; others draw their power from ambiguity, and allow for a broad range of possible meanings.
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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