Archive for the 'Philosophy' Category

Human dignity in the Byzantine politeia

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

These developments in the relationship between basileia and hierosyne are reflected in imperial iconography – i.e., in the way in which emperors are depicted. Down to the time of the iconoclastic controversy, emperors most often were depicted in ways that emphasized their power – crowned ... More


A Secular Age

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

“Why was it virtually impossible not to believe in God in 1500 in our Western society, while in 2000 many of us find this not only easy, but even inescapable?” This is the question Charles Taylor posits and (brilliantly) attempts to answer in the following 776 pages. Taylor rejects ... More


The Good and Beautiful as the essence of Greek thought

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

In a significant essay on Platonic philosophy, R. J. O’Connell highlights one of the most interesting and problematic aspects of the identification of the good and the beautiful in the Greek philosophical tradition : β€˜It is a truism to say that, for the Greek mind, the good and the ... More


The First Great Divergence

Monday, August 24th, 2009

“…for here it is precisely the element of the unexpected in the events I have chosen to describe which will challenge and stimulate everyone alike…” Polybius Polybius’ statement, and his work in general, which was an attempt to explain how, in the course of a few ... More


The purpose of history

Friday, March 13th, 2009

One of the fundamental characteristics of Western culture, among many others, would be the writing of history. History, the recording of past events and an attempt to explain them is indeed a discipline born, as we know, with Herodotus. Of all the ancient civilizations that have developped ... More