Tag Archives: history

Briefly Noted: Leo Strauss, “German Nihilism”

Leo Strauss, “German Nihilism” (in Interpretation Vol. 26 No. 3 Spring 1999) 1. At first, the value of Strauss’ lecture seems to be that of a historical document. It is delivered in 1941 shortly after the fall of France and before it is clear the U.S. will enter war. Strauss, a German Jew, asserts that …

March 17, 2013 – 7:04 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

A Reputation for Justice: Plutarch, “Life of Aristides”

1. Aristides was an Athenian politician renowned for his justice during the Persian Wars. His main rival was Themistocles, who saved the people of Athens as the city burned. Themistocles was successful working in the name of expedience; his swift rebuilding of Athens’ walls set the stage for Athens’ imperial rise. What did Aristides achieve? …

November 19, 2012 – 12:29 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Is Fiction Useful? Note on Jefferson’s Letter to Robert Skipwith, Aug. 3rd 1771

Letter of Thomas Jefferson to Robert Skipwith, Aug. 3rd 1771 Jefferson honors a request to create a catalog of books for Skipwith’s library. We find him, strangely enough, defending the value of fiction: A little attention however to the nature of the human mind evinces that the entertainments of fiction are useful as well as …

October 30, 2012 – 11:10 pm | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, politics, xenophon | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Posts on Greek Drama and History

A bit of blog housekeeping is coming up – 500 a day hasn’t been hit yet, but I’m in shooting distance. Part of the strategy has to be to post a bit more, and get more links built to my older posts. Without further ado, here are some posts on Greek tragedy and history. I …

July 19, 2010 – 3:44 am | By ashok | Posted in blogging | Tagged , | Comments (0)

The Noble Life: On Plutarch’s “Pericles”

Quotes are from John Dryden’s translation, published by Modern Library but available online for free. The biography is about 30 pages long. It seems strange to call Pericles noble, given that to become the leading man in Athens, he displaced the aristocracy and bullied the oligarchy that remained. Pericles’ legacy is undoubtedly one of unleashing …

March 1, 2009 – 12:33 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (1)

Questions regarding the Lincoln Memorial

Following up on the last post about my time with Collegium, Christine and Bill in DC. Again, many thanks for their observations and thoughts, which are reflected below. The Lincoln Memorial stands tall, as if out of reach. Wikipedia notes that the columns are Doric but doesn’t talk about the frontal access to the temple …

June 7, 2008 – 2:00 am | By ashok | Posted in lincoln, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Thoughts on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Shout-outs to begin: I was in the DC area this weekend with Collegium Cantorum and my friends Christine and Bill. We sang at St. Joseph’s on Capitol Hill at the 10:30 am Mass (6/1), and also at a Holy Hour on 5/30 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Annandale, VA. A few of us went …

June 2, 2008 – 2:11 pm | By ashok | Posted in personal, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (1)

How Does One Determine Whether Old Books About Politics Are Applicable Today?

Politics seems to be too closely related to circumstance for any political decision to be grounded in something timeless. A commitment to a principle such as “our roads should be safe” has obvious practical overtones. When other decisions such as alliances with dictators are made, the practical overtones are plain and disturbing, but even a …

September 20, 2007 – 5:20 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Is This Stuff Really Scholarship? This Can’t Be Real

Please assess this, and tell me it’s some sort of joke It would seem to me that the “economic-historical” thesis that the Industrial Revolution occurred because of a change in human evolution could be defeated merely by arguing that a change in ideas occurred earlier. “The Wealth of Nations” was published in 1776; a certain …

August 9, 2007 – 8:11 am | By ashok | Posted in academia | Tagged , | Comments (4)

Five Questions for Henry Midgley of Westminster Wisdom

Henry Midgley of Westminster Wisdom fame was kind enough to answer a few questions recently about himself and his blog that would only be asked by incredibly nosy people like myself. I hope you get the same enjoyment I do out of hearing people talk about what they love and hope for: thanks so much …

July 2, 2007 – 1:09 pm | By ashok | Posted in academia, education | Tagged , , | Comments (3)