Category: Europe

Europe, History, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PoliticsLeave a comment

The road from Rome

Fernando Kaskais

The fall of the Roman Empire wasn’t a tragedy for civilisation. It was a lucky break for humanity as a whole Walter Scheidel is Dickason Professor in the Humanities, professor of Classics and history, and a Catherine R Kennedy and Daniel L Grossman fellow in human biology, all at Stanford University in California… Edited by Sam Dresser For an empire that collapsed more than 1,500 years ago, ancient Rome maintains a powerful presence. About 1 billion people speak languages derived from Latin; Roman law shapes modern norms; and Roman architecture has been widely imitated. Christianity, which the empire embraced in its sunset years, remains the … Continue reading The road from Rome

Curiositys, Eco, Europe, Politics, TechnologyLeave a comment

France is banning any short flight that can be replaced by a train trip

Fernando Kaskais

If you can get there within 180 minutes on the train, you won’t be able to fly. BY ADELE PETERS It takes around two hours to take a train from Paris to the city of Lyon. That train ride has a far smaller carbon footprint than flying between the cities—and now the French government plans to ban the flights, along with other short routes that take 2.5 hours or less by train, to shrink the country’s transportation emissions. Another proposal would have ditched all flights shorter than four hours than could have been replaced by train rides, but politicians compromised after … Continue reading France is banning any short flight that can be replaced by a train trip

Curiositys, Europe, Politics, RightsLeave a comment

It pays to be tolerant: Dutch national identity

Fernando Kaskais

“It’s not always about agreement, more often it’s about business.” by Kamil Bulak  The roots of Dutch tolerance run deep. Perhaps its sources are to be found in centuries old Calvinist prescriptions, according to which everyone has the right to interpret the Bible in their own way. Or maybe in the economy, since international trade necessitated respect for others. “According to our report, there is no such thing as Dutch national identity,” announced Máxima, Queen of the Netherlands, in 2007, which delighted some, outraged others, and left others still unimpressed. This expert report commissioned by the authorities was to establish … Continue reading It pays to be tolerant: Dutch national identity

Curiositys, Esoteric, Europe, History, Money, PsychologyLeave a comment

Rich witches

Fernando Kaskais

How a flawed logic of economic scarcity and social climbing spurred witch hunts in early modern Germany Johannes Dillinger is professor of early modern history at Oxford Brookes University. He is the editor of The Routledge History of Witchcraft (2019) and the author of Magical Treasure Hunting in Europe and North America (2012), among others. Edited by Sam Dresser Margaretha Hönin had a bad reputation. Even though she lived in the late 16th century, we know that her neighbours, the people of Coburg in Thuringia, despised her for being a parvenu and a money-grabbing miser. Hönin was also said to be a witch who met regularly with a dragon. For … Continue reading Rich witches

Curiositys, Europe, History, Science, Space, TechnologyLeave a comment

Scientists Have Unlocked the Secrets of the Ancient ‘Antikythera Mechanism’

Fernando Kaskais

A digital model has revealed a complex planetarium on the ancient device’s face. “Unless it’s from outer space, we have to find a way in which the Greeks could have made it,” researchers say. By Becky Ferreira In the early 1900s, divers hunting for sponges off the coast of Antikythera, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, discovered a Roman-era shipwreck that contained an artifact destined to dramatically alter our understanding of the ancient world. Known as the Antikythera Mechanism, the object is a highly sophisticated astronomical calculator that dates back more than 2,000 years. Since its recovery from the shipwreck … Continue reading Scientists Have Unlocked the Secrets of the Ancient ‘Antikythera Mechanism’

Europe, History, Media&Culture, PhilosophyLeave a comment

Rousseau explained: What his philosophy means for us

Fernando Kaskais

The philosopher who praised a simple life and inspired the worst of the French Revolution. by Scotty Hendricks  Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Swiss Enlightenment philosopher with some radical ideas. He argued passionately for democracy, equality, liberty, and supporting the common good by any means necessary. While his ideas may be utopian (or dystopian), they are thought-provoking and can inform modern discourse. Modern political debates often ask how much democracy we should have and what should, and should not, be subject to a vote. Whenever we discuss these issues, we stumble on the famously tricky philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who argued nearly … Continue reading Rousseau explained: What his philosophy means for us

Curiositys, Europe, Health, History, Media&CultureLeave a comment

The medieval childbirth guide: 6 tips for pregnant mothers in the Middle Ages

Fernando Kaskais

Having a baby in medieval Europe presented women with a set of acute challenges – and dangers. From what to drink while in labour to the best saints to beseech for a safe pregnancy, Elma Brenner offers six tips for those preparing for motherhood in the Middle Ages. by Dr Elma Brenner Call the midwife As labour pains kicked in, many medieval women leant on the expertise of experienced professionals Childbirth in the Middle Ages was a community effort. Family members, parish priests and local experts all lent a hand – and when midwives were called in to assist, they often worked in … Continue reading The medieval childbirth guide: 6 tips for pregnant mothers in the Middle Ages

Europe, History, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

Plato in Sicily

Fernando Kaskais

Plato travelled to the decadent strife-torn court of Syracuse three times, risking his life to create a philosopher-king Nick Romeo is a journalist and author, and teaches philosophy for Erasmus Academy. His writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The Washington Post, National Geographic, The Atlantic and The New Republic, among others. He lives in Athens, Greece. Ian Tewksbury is a Classics graduate student at Stanford University in California. His primary research interests include archaic poetry and ancient philosophy. He works on the digitalisation of Homeric manuscripts for the Homer Multitext project.Listen here Edited by Sam Dresser In 388 BCE, Plato was nearly forty. He had lived … Continue reading Plato in Sicily

Curiositys, Europe, History, Media&Culture, Philosophy, PsychologyLeave a comment

What the Greek classics tell us about grief and the importance of mourning the dead

Fernando Kaskais

The rites we give to the dead help us understand what it takes to go on living. by Joel Christensen  As the coronavirus pandemic hit New York in March, the death toll quickly went up with few chances for families and communities to perform traditional rites for their loved ones. A reporter for Time magazine described how bodies were put on a ramp, then onto a loading dock and stacked on wooden racks. Emergency morgues were set up to handle the large number of dead. By official count, New York City alone had 20,000 dead over a period of two months. Months later, our … Continue reading What the Greek classics tell us about grief and the importance of mourning the dead

Curiositys, Europe, Fascism, History, Literature, Media&CultureLeave a comment

Hate reads

Fernando Kaskais

The Western canon has no shortage of fascists. But can the far-Right make ‘literature’ worthy of the name? Andrew Marzoni is a writer and teacher, whose criticism has appeared in The Baffler, The Nation, The Washington Post and other publications. He lives in New York. Edited by Sam Dresser The public outrage following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbury earlier this year flooded bookstores in the United States with orders for recent publications such as Robin DiAngelo’s White Fragility and Ibram X Kendi’s How to Be an Antiracist, as well as for classic novels by Toni Morrison and James Baldwin, and essays by Angela … Continue reading Hate reads