A politics of affection
Affection, in the sense that I mean it, is a broad kind of love: a gentler, more abiding, more generous way of feeling-toward, and of… Read More »A politics of affection
history
Edmund Burke on virtue, experience and political leadership
Words from the past for the present. … no name, no power, no function, no artificial institution whatsoever, can make the men, of whom any… Read More »Edmund Burke on virtue, experience and political leadership
Uproar in the East, Strike in the West: Samuel B. Griffith on Mao Zedong’s Yu Chi Chan (Guerrilla Warfare)
TRANSLATORS NOTE (1940) [U.S. has not yet entered the Second World War] In July, 1941, the undeclared war between China and Japan will enter its… Read More »Uproar in the East, Strike in the West: Samuel B. Griffith on Mao Zedong’s Yu Chi Chan (Guerrilla Warfare)
Worldview: Sarah Paine on Japanese culture and strategy in World War 2
Sarah Paine is a professor of History and Grand Strategy at the U.S. Naval War College. This excellent lecture sheds a lot of light on… Read More »Worldview: Sarah Paine on Japanese culture and strategy in World War 2
Jane Psmith on Cargo Cults, local politics and mutual misunderstanding
The latest book review from The Psmiths (Jane, this time) is itself an excellent read. As she says, “forget everything you think you know about… Read More »Jane Psmith on Cargo Cults, local politics and mutual misunderstanding
Wonders of the Internet: Jimmy Maher, the Digital Antiquarian on The Fall of Sierra
The Digital Antiquarian tells the history of computers and specifically computer gaming. It’s an amazing resource, and most of the articles are downloadable in .epub… Read More »Wonders of the Internet: Jimmy Maher, the Digital Antiquarian on The Fall of Sierra
Driverless Christmas
Despite my silence for the last few of weeks, rest assured that I have not been asleep at the wheel… Greetings First off, Merry –… Read More »Driverless Christmas
Thucydides: Innovation and Rapid Iteration vs Conservativism in the Peloponnesian War
… we [the representatives of Corinth] consider that we have as good a right as any one to point out a neighbour’s faults, particularly when… Read More »Thucydides: Innovation and Rapid Iteration vs Conservativism in the Peloponnesian War
“One for the money, two for the show” – origin and variants
One to begin On the off chance that you find yourself wondering where this phrase – most famously used by Elvis at the start of… Read More »“One for the money, two for the show” – origin and variants
Herodotus’ Xerxes on futility, suffering, risk-taking and action
… and hubris. Long, and worth it – like the Histories as a whole. The king [Xerxes] took his seat… and looking down over the… Read More »Herodotus’ Xerxes on futility, suffering, risk-taking and action