History

Fontenelle’s Theory Of Progress

Quintus Curtius History, Thought , ,

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The first Western thinker to come up with a comprehensive theory of “progress” was Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (1657-1757).  His importance today rests on the fact that he was a promoter and popularizer of the ideas of Rene Descartes in the face of the sustained attacks that Cartesian ideas came under from established religious and academic circles.  Descartes was one of the true visionaries of the Western tradition, and is rightly considered to be one of the fathers of modern philosophy and science.

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The Death Of Che Guevara

Quintus Curtius History , ,

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The visage of Ernesto “Che” Guevara has graced countless t-shirts, posters, and other kitsch memorabilia.  He has assumed the status almost of a secular saint, the supposed defender of the poor and marginalized.  Few who concern themselves with such things, however, know much about the man himself, or about his murderous legacy.

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Raid On Dieppe: Anatomy Of A Disaster

Quintus Curtius History ,

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Nations that have been victorious in war like to talk about their triumphs, but less often their failures.  It is for this reason that the Allied raid on the French port city of Dieppe remains an obscure incident of the Second World War.  But it should not be.  For it can be argued that in war, like much else in human endeavor, failures are far more instructive than successes.

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Storm Tactics: Bypassing Strong Points, Attacking Weak Points

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

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The obvious failure of conventional infantry tactics in the early years of the First World War led to agonized soul-searching in the leadership elements of the belligerent nations.  How could the stalemate be broken?  How could ground forces move forward, and restore some sort of war of maneuver?

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Breakout: The Escape From The Maze Prison

Quintus Curtius History , ,

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It was touted as the “most secure prison in Western Europe.”  It was supposed to be a place for the “safekeeping” of IRA (Irish Republican Army) paramilitaries arrested in Northern Ireland.  It was Her Majesty’s Prison Maze, or more commonly known as “The Maze.”

And it became the scene of one of the most daring, well-executed prison escapes in twentieth century history.

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The Bad Luck Of The Gardener Sinerus

Quintus Curtius History ,

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Injustices thrive in atmospheres of fear and intolerance.  I came across one story recently that illustrates this point.  It could just as easily have come from Stalinist Russia, or modern-day North Korea.  The tale is found in Giuseppe Riciotti’s Age of Martyrs, and concerns the accidental martyrdom of a man named Silenus, who lived during the emperor Diocletian’s vigorous persecution of Christians in the last years of fourth century.  Riciotti does not mention the original source, but it must have come from one of the ecclesiastical historians of the period.

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Xenophon On Cyrus’s Leadership Qualities

Quintus Curtius Biography, History , ,

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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.

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

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

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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.

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

Quintus Curtius History , , ,

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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 same patterns are also evident on the international stage, when the antagonisms of nation-states find uneasy resolution in dialogue.

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Duress Reveals Latent Talent, And Why Women Need Role Models As Much As Men

Quintus Curtius History, Literature , ,

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Some positive features in our characters can lie dormant for long periods of time, awaiting the right opportunity to make themselves known.  Even bad men can have positive qualities that manifest themselves only under extreme duress.

I have always thought that pressure reveals the man.  This has been my experience.  And you never really could tell who would rise to the challenge, and who would not.  Appearances in this regard can be very deceiving.

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