Author: Quintus Curtius

What Were A Medieval Serf’s Feudal Obligations?

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

Sometimes I think historians have exaggerated the misery of the medieval serf in Europe.  I would not want to exchange my lot for his, of course, but it is a useful exercise to examine in detail just what his feudal obligations were.  There is no strict definition of “feudalism,” as it varied in time and place; but it found its fullest expression in medieval France.  To understand why it developed, we must appreciate the profound insecurity and chaos that most of Europe was plunged into after the fall of the western Roman Empire.  At that time, security and peace mattered more to the common man than his freedom; and the system worked well considering the environment of the times.

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The Painted Books Of The Maya: Surviving By A Hair

Quintus Curtius History, Language , , ,

Sometimes the precious things of this world survive by just a hair.  Just a hair.  The difference between victory and defeat, between survival and ruin, between conquest and destruction, between glory and despair:  these are not differences of tremendous magnitude.  They are fine-line distinctions.  And when I say fine-line, I mean very fine.  Fortune loves to play games with us, and when she casts her dice to predict our fate, the outcome often hangs by a hair.  By such threads does the fate of man so perilously hang.

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How The Plutocratic Insurgency Targets You Personally: The Use Of AI For Targeted Shakedowns

Quintus Curtius Current News , ,

In our discussions on the “plutocratic insurgency” here, we have focused on the malfeasance and corrupt practices of the moneyed elites, their political lackeys, and a few of the major corporations.  Some people, reading these pages, may be tempted to think, “Well, so what?  It doesn’t affect me personally!  What do I care!”  But the insurgency does, in fact, affect all of us on an individual basis.  When your society is being attacked, you come into the cross-hairs.  It makes no difference whether the attack is prolonged or sudden; it is an attack nonetheless.

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Impressions Of Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Quintus Curtius Podcast, Travel & Exploration , ,

I spent the recent holidays in Belo Horizonte, which is the capital of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.  It was a fantastic trip, and I wanted to give readers my impressions of the city.

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Vanguard Of The Plutocratic Insurgency: Apple Inc. Plies Its Trade

Quintus Curtius Politics, Thought , ,

Previous articles here have described in detail a phenomenon called the “plutocratic insurgency.”  The term was coined by Robert J. Bunker and Pamela L. Bunker in a series of articles that have appeared in Small Wars Journal.  I have discussed the Bunkers’ conclusions in my own articles here:

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The Wisdom Of Ibn Zafar al-Siqilli And Abu Bakr al-Khowarizmi

Quintus Curtius Literature, Thought , , , ,

The writer and scholar Ibn Zafar al-Siqilli lived from 1104 to about 1170.  The cognomen al-Siqilli (“the Sicilian”) was given to him because he was born on the island of Sicily.  There are a number of important works credited to his name, the most famous of which is a book of ethical and political philosophy called Consolation for the Master Who Suffers From the Hatred of His Servants (the brilliant Arabic title, written in the rhyming prose typical of Arabic literature, is سلوان المطاع في عدوان الأتباع‎).  In English, this work is often referred to simply as the Sulwan al-Mutaa’.  The book was composed in 1159, during the time of the second Norman king of Sicily, William the Bad.  Sicily (Sakalliya) had been an Arab emirate from A.D. 831 to 1091.

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The Top 10 Articles At Fortress Of The Mind For 2017

Quintus Curtius Current News ,

Below is a list of the top 10 viewed articles at Fortress of the Mind for the year 2017.  Now might be a good time to re-read the essays from last year that spoke to you:

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A Portuguese Translation Of “On The Forgetting Of Offenses And Insults”

Quintus Curtius Thought , , ,

My essay On the Forgetting of Offenses and Insults has graciously and capably been translated into Portuguese by Mr. Daniel Castro, proprietor of the site Nuvem de Giz.

The translation can be found here.

 

To Comprehend, You Must Have The Desire To Comprehend

Quintus Curtius Language, Thought , , ,

If you want to understand someone, you must have the desire to hear that person.  You must have the willingness to open up your mind,  to open up your heart, and be prepared to receive the communication that he or she is sending out.  If this open-mindedness is not there, you will not hear the other person, even if he happens to speak your language.  You will close your mind, and no words uttered by the other party will make any difference.

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The Symbols Of Power Are Not Substitutes For Real Power

Quintus Curtius Thought , ,

Some are tempted to confuse the symbols of power with the reality of power.  They are not the same thing.  Power is the one thing that cannot be faked.  For a time, perhaps, the bluffer can maintain an illusion of authority; he can go through his empty pantomime, imagining he is fooling everyone; but sooner or later, the truth will shine through.  And then he will discover that the only one who has been deceived is himself.  Symbolism, bombast, and slight-of-hand are no substitutes for the real thing.  Some anecdotes from the historian Ammianus Marcellinus, so often mentioned in these pages, help us to reinforce this point.

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