Tag: featured

On Apollonius, Nicomachus and first principles

| June 11, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Apollonius, Nicomachus and first principles

Apollonius image of conic sections and the question of orbital motion *N.B.: This essay is based in part on ideas from Great Books of the Western World, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Editor-in-Chief (1952), Vol. 3, chap. 70 – Principle and Vol. 11 – Apollonius of Perga and Nicomachus of Gerasa. “All that has by nature with […]

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On Hippocrates, Galen and the nature of ancient medicine

| May 26, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Hippocrates, Galen and the nature of ancient medicine

*N.B.: This essay is based in part on ideas from Great Books of the Western World, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Editor-in-Chief (1952), Vol. 3, chap. 55 – Medicine and Vol. 10 – Hippocrates and Galen“First do no harm.”~ Aphorism attributed to the Hippocratic Oath“We should hire three or four colored ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and […]

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On Aristotle and the nature of animals and slaves

| May 17, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Aristotle and the nature of animals and slaves

*N.B.: This essay is based in part on ideas from Great Books of the Western World, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Editor-in-Chief (1952), Vol. 1, chap. 2 – Animals and Vol. 9 – Aristotle (theoretical works) “Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” ~ Proverbs 6:6 “And indeed the use made of […]

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On Aristotle and the idea of judgment

| May 10, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Aristotle and the idea of judgment

*N.B.: This essay is based in part on ideas from Great Books of the Western World, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Editor-in-Chief (1952), Vol. 2, chap. 41 – Judgment and Vol. 8 – Aristotle “We don’t do punishment [judgment]…. The way that we deal with our kids is, they are responsible for their lives….” ~ Will Smith […]

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On Plato’s Theory of Forms

| April 19, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Plato’s Theory of Forms

*N.B.: This essay is based in part on excerpts from Great Books of the Western World (1952), Vol. 2, chp. 28 – Form and Vol. 7 – Plato Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught falsehoods in school. And the person that dares to tell the truth is […]

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On Socrates: life and legacy

| April 12, 2014 | 0 Comments
On Socrates: life and legacy

Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, weak minds discuss people. ~Socrates Prologue In my ongoing series on the Classics of Western Civilization, we now come to Plato, however, since Plato was a student of Socrates as well as the primary source for what we know of the man, and Socrates left no written […]

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On love

| March 30, 2014 | 0 Comments
On love

*N.B.: This article is based in part on excerpts from Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 3, Chp. 50 – Love and Vol. 4 – Homer: The Iliad, The Odyssey Dilige, et quod vis fac – “Love, and do what you will.” ~ Augustine According to the theologian love is not restricted to realm […]

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On tyranny

| March 26, 2014 | 0 Comments
On tyranny

*N.B.: This article is based in part on excerpts from Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 3: The Great Ideas – A Syntopicon, Chp. 95: Tyranny, Mortimer J. Adler, Editor in Chief and Vol. 5 – Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes Again, where the people are absolute rulers of the land, they rejoice in having […]

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Education and economics

| March 10, 2014 | 2 Comments
Education and economics

*N.B.: This article is based on an excerpt from Great Books of the Western World, Vol. 1: The Great Conversation – The Substance of a Liberal Education by Robert M. Hutchins A man without the proper use of the intellectual faculties of a man, is, if possible, more contemptible than even a coward, and seems […]

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Hagel’s Military deconstruction

| March 4, 2014 | 0 Comments
Hagel’s Military deconstruction

We have departed from the maxim of “peace through strength” to a belief in “appeasement through weakness.” ~Col. Allen West Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is expected to announce draconian military cuts that would reduce the U.S. Army from 490,000 troops to between 440,000 to 450,000, the elimination of the entire fleet of Air Force A-10 […]

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