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You Need To Think Hard About Your Educational Choices
I wanted to write something in response to some recent articles and commentary I’ve seen from colleagues and friends of mine. It concerns the subject of college. Much of this recent commentary, while well-meaning and making valid points, nevertheless paints a picture that is in need of qualification. So I wanted to share my thoughts. Is…
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The Fall Of Queen Amalasuntha
Here is a good story of palace intrigue and conspiracy. We turn our attention to late antiquity, to the Ostrogothic kingdom in Italy. Amalasuntha (c. 495-535) was the daughter of Ostrogothic King Theoderic the Great. When Theoderic died, his grandson Athalaric nominally became king. But being a child, the real power lay with his mother Amalasuntha,…
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Six Men’s Health Topics You Should Know Something About
I was talking to my father on the phone earlier today. He was telling me that he had been speaking recently to another man he knew. It had been a sad conversation with this friend of his. This man had suddenly discovered he had serious health problems. Basically, he found out that he had prostate…
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Guidelines On The Proper Delivery Of A Speech
I had conducted many jury trials in state court before my first jury trial in federal court. One of the differences in federal court was that the attorneys had the ability, after the trial was over, to review the written critiques that the jurors had left behind.
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The Scheming And Ruthless Antonina
In a previous article here we recounted the dramatic fall of one of the Emperor Justinian’s venal officials, John of Cappadocia. The key roles of this drama were the Empress Theodora and her amoral compatriot Antonina (c. 484-565), the wife of Belisarius. It is now time to relate yet more adventures of this depraved yet…
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The Story Of John The Cappadocian: Schemes And Intrigues In The Palace
The Emperor Justinian (A.D. 485-565) and his wife, the Empress Theodora, are well-known sovereigns of the eastern Roman Empire. The absolute power which centered around the throne at this period in history encouraged palace intrigues of all sorts, and their reign was no exception. One of the more interesting stories of betrayal and revenge during…
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The Conquest Of Anxiety And Fear
The foremost lesson of philosophy should be the lesson of perspective. When I say perspective, I mean the different interpretation of events that can be given from viewing the matter from different vantage points. What we think is a product of our relative position to an issue. You say to me, how oppressed I am…
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A Few Bits Of Wisdom From The Poet Claudian
Long poems generally bore me. Even the most eloquent verses, stacked up on each other at great length, can wear on the reader. Perhaps every long poem is best digested as a series of short poems, read at one’s leisure. No one ever wished a long poem to be longer. In this spirit, I will…
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Your Guardian Deity
Plutarch’s essay On Socrates’s Personal Deity (593A-594A) contains an idea that I find appealing. He proposes that every man has a “personal deity” that looks out for him and helps him in a time of need. We can think of this deity as a kind of guardian angel. The personal deity is an experienced attendant-god or…
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The Strange Adventures Of Antonio Marques Da Sylva
Toby Green’s excellent book Inquisition: The Reign of Fear contains an interesting story that highlights how uncertain and adventurous life could be in ages past. The story concerns one Antonio Marques da Sylva, a Brazilian man who lived in seventeenth century Bahia. In 1647 he was married to Maria Figeuira de Abreu. He had children…
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How To Read A Book
I often get questions on book recommendations. People will ask me, “What book do you recommend for learning about XYZ historical event?” Or they will say, “What book do you recommend for learning about XYZ philosophy?” Or whatever. And this is fine. I always am happy to give my opinion. I like to discuss, to…
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Michael Collins: The Irish Prophet Of Urban Guerrilla Warfare
Few figures in the history of guerrilla warfare have been as influential and successful as Michael Collins (1890-1922), the Irish revolutionary leader. His tactical and strategic mastery of urban guerrilla techniques showed what a determined minority could do against an oppressive system of domination. His career is said to have been studied carefully by such…
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An Excerpt From The Upcoming “Stoic Paradoxes”
This fall, I will be releasing a translation of Cicero’s Stoic Paradoxes. The book deals with some of the major questions on life and conduct that every man must confront. The book came about in response to the many questions I received asking for good introductory texts on Stoicism. I feel that this little book is…
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On Making Setbacks Appear To Be Advances
Conflict surges back and forth. There will be advances, and there will be reverses. It is inevitable: no one who is actively engaged in the games of life will be able to avoid reverses. But then the question becomes: how may reverses be characterized as gains? If you believe that this is not a question…
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Paul Von Lettow-Vorbeck: The Greatest German Commander Of The Great War
The leadership principle of “economy of management” holds that we should strive to do more with less. If the ability to do much with limited resources is a measure of greatness, then few field commanders in twentieth century military history are greater than Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck. His name is relatively unknown today, but a recounting…
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Take The Initiative And Do The Unexpected
Your enemies are slothful, satisfied, and unwilling to tolerate pain and discomfort. They wish to be comfortable, to enjoy their privileges, and to spend their days in leisure. They would rather hate on you than do any work to improve themselves. They are cozy in their little domains. You, on the other hand, are…
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The Fable Of Aridaeus of Soli
Plutarch’s essay On God’s Slowness to Punish (563C et seq.) relates a vivid fable on the punishments meted out to those to commit evil acts in their lives. It also relates to us the requirements and possibilities for moral redemption. The fable takes the form of an out-of-body experience that has much to say about…
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Great Leaders Usually Emerge In Crises
The current batch of presidential candidates leaves me feeling nothing. I don’t feel inspired by any of them. I don’t feel interested in any of them. All I feel is…nothing, a generalized emptiness that edges into contempt. All of them are complete nothings, nonentities. You may feel the same way. When it comes to politics,…
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Seeking Peace Of Mind: A Letter
We cannot always choose our circumstances, but we can adapt our minds and attitudes to the circumstances we are presented with. Plato, in the Republic (604c5 ff.), famously compared life to a game of dice that was structured at two levels: the throw of the dice (over which we have no control), and the way…
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Some Thoughts On The Use Of Words, Gathered While Eating Bolinhos De Bacalhau
I was sitting last night (and early this morning) at a locally well-known restaurant in Rio de Janeiro named Cervantes (it’s in Copacabana, near Leme). I was eating some of the best bolinhos de bacalhau I had ever had, and talking with a girl I’ve known for a while here. As the flow of…
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Your Defiance Is Your Abundance
We hear a lot, here and there, about creating a “mentality of abundance.” We read much about how we need to create an “abundance mindset.” Abundance! Abundance! Abundance! Scream the hype-men, the carnival-barkers, the chest-beaters. It is a tiresome pantomime. All under the circus big-top. Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Which is fine,…
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What Is The Best English Translation of Sun Tzu’s “Art Of War”?
My article this week at Return of Kings deals with Sun Tzu’s Art of War. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War is one of the most widely read of the military classics. A very large number of translations exist, of decidedly uneven quality. Some of these “translations” omit large portions of the original text’s…
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The Apple Of Empress Eudocia
I came across a poignant little tale yesterday, languishing in a forgotten volume of history on the reign of the Roman emperor Theodosius II (A.D. 401-450). The book is the Chronographia of the ecclesiastical historian John Malalas (c. 491-578).
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Coming This Fall: Stoic Paradoxes
Stoicism has proven itself to be an enduring and influential philosophy. It may not have attracted the greatest number of adherents when compared to other schools of philosophy, but the men that it did attract tended to be the best men. Cicero, whose name is synonymous with eloquence, wrote a great deal on Stoicism. I will…
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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