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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.
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The Origin Of A Certain Wedding-Cry
The fifth century Gallo-Roman writer Sidonius Apollinaris, in a letter to his friend Heronius, mentions hearing during his travels the congratulatory shout of “Thalassio” in the streets, theaters, and marketplaces. An editor’s footnote to the text explains that the exclamation was a standard Roman expression of good wishes to a newlywed couple.
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The Ghosts Of St. Paul Island
St. Paul Island is one of those innumerable specks of land in the northeast Atlantic that are perpetually lashed by frigid wind and wave. It is located about fifteen miles northeast of Cape North on Cape Breton Island; it is near the Cabot Strait between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. In…
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Swords And Years
There is an anecdote found in Valerius Maximus (VI.2.10) that calls our attention to the difference between the respective powers of raw force and steady patience. A brutal consul named Cnaeus Carbo was threatening to put the city of Placentia under siege. He ordered a city magistrate named Marcus Castricius to give him hostages as…
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Verdicts Vary With Time
The political philosopher Ibn Zafar, in his masterful treatise Consolation for the Ruler During the Hostility of his Subjects, states as follows:
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On The Impudence Of Servants
There is an unintentionally amusing passage in a letter Petrarch sent to his brother Gherardo in 1349. In it, the harried scholar pours out his frustration at the antagonistic and insulting behavior of his servants:
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On The Collapse Of Friendship
Some of our most painful experiences can be the unexpected dissolution of friendships once thought to be robust and dependable. The memories of shared joys persist, troubling our consciences with conflicting and perplexing emotions. How did the collapse happen? What degree of culpability do I share in this outcome? What, if anything, might have been…
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A Very Tragic Story (Podcast)
I recently watched a compelling four-part Netflix documentary entitled Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel. I had never heard of the Elisa Lam story before, and I was struck by how tragic it was, on so many levels. In this podcast, I try to explain why. What are your thoughts? What do you…
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The Preface To “Centuries”: A Podcast Reading
My new collection of essays, Centuries, was published on June 23, 2024. It contains all pieces published between 2020 and 2023. The book is currently available in both paperback and Kindle, and a hardcover version will be coming shortly. This podcast is a reading from the book’s preface. It distills some of the ideas I…
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“Centuries” Is Now Available
Centuries, the complete collection of my essays from 2020 to 2023, was released today. The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. The essays deal with varied topics in moral philosophy, history, and biography. In addition to essays, the volume also includes a special collection of aphorisms and maxims under the chapter “Gnomology.”…
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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