• Welcome
    • Curriculum Vitae
    • About Me
  • Publications
    • Work in Progress
  • Blog
  • Provocations

New Newsletter: Ancient and Modern

7/10/2022

30 Comments

 
Picture
      Here's the latest Newsletter! Hope you enjoy it.

​Interpreting the Second Amendment:
Comment in the most recent of these Newsletters evoked some strong reactions, including  an important observation by Hunter Rawlings  about James Madison’s way of expressing himself.  That in turn elicited a useful comment by Arthur Eckstein on 18th century thinking about “a well-regulated militia”  Both Rawlings’  blog post and Eckstein’s comment can be found  in the blog for  June  13: https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog/hunter-rawlings-on-james-madison-and-the-interpretation-of-the-second-amendment
--
Richard Seaford of Exeter University also reacted to the discussion in the last Newsletter of the financing of American college education.  His piece, “Wealth and How We Use It,” can be read on the  blog post for June 9th.
You’ll also find there a link to TLS’s version of his presidential address to the British Classical Association.  Good reading!
          I am very grateful to all those who react  and respond to my blog and Newsletter. Keep ‘em coming!
-----
Are the Best of the Best Are Experiencing the Worst of the Worst?
          In personal email correspondence I found something else – outrage at the mass shootings, and despair at the inability of the political system to make any  significant response.  This is part, I fear, of a more wide-ranging discouragement about the political impasse that makes it difficult to take action on pressing issues such as social justice and climate change.
          If discouragement prevails among the mature and well-educated readers of this Newsletter, what is it like to be an adolescent in this climate?  We know the answer to that question, at least in part, from the statistics showing a rise in suicide,  self-harm and other forms of psychological distress among  young people, not least those in highly selective  colleges and universities  See “The Numbers Just Continue to Rise”“ in the Boston Globe of June 8, 20222.
Whatever its causes, many colleges are having a hard time keeping up with this problem, and nearby Emergency Rooms  are sometimes overwhelmed  by young people in desperate need of psychological help. Psychiatrists are so booked up that they often cannot take new patients or see them with the needed frequency.  It’s another pandemic, but not getting the attention it needs.
--
Recent Blog Posts at https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog
 
“A Nearly Perfect form of Government” June 25 What makes a democracy work at least at one scale.
Staging Euripides’ Ion” June 21 What the tragedy is really about
“His Greatest Contribution to the Field”  June 10. On “I’ve written only one masterpiece. Bolero.  Unfortunately, it has no music in it.”  Maurice Ravel to Arthur Honneger.
--
Ponderable::
“The critical contribution of Periclean leadership to Athenian success …  was not so much his expert understanding of the political system that he led, but his ability to maintain civic cohesion  through his superlative prestige.” “  Mark Fisher “Thucydides’ Tragic Science of Democratic Defeat”  in The Review of Politics 84 (2022), 25–54. 
--
The Value of History:
          The last Newsletter poked fun at the phrase “History teaches us that …” But that raises the serious question of what is the value of history?  Michael Lurie called my attention to a passage in Schopenhauer: “ “What the faculty of reason is to the individual, history is to the human race. By virtue of this faculty, the human being is not, like the animal, restricted to the narrow present of perception, but knows also the incomparably more extended past with which it is connected, and out of which it has emerged ... Thus, writing history serves to restore to unity the consciousness of the human race, which is necessarily interrupted by death, and is accordingly piecemeal and fragmentary,”.
--
Word of the Month: Euphemism
The Greek word demands we respect the disruptive power of language.  Better to keep silent than to misuses speech.  We’ve taken hold of the word and made it insipid.  It’s become a “nice” way of speaking, not a stern reminder to watch what  we say and how we say it..
In Late Antiquity some Greeks were aware that this was already a problem:
“ All the ancients, but most of all the Athenians, were careful not to use ill-omened words; so they called the prison 'the chamber,' and the executioner 'the public man,' and the Furies (Erinyes) they called 'Eumenides' ('the kindly ones') or 'the Venerable Goddesses.' " [Helladius of Antinoopolis, quoted by Photius] “
The British philosopher Bishop George Berkeley observed
 “…in our dialect, a vicious man is a man of pleasure, a sharper is one that plays the whole game, a lady is said to have an affair, a gentleman to be a gallant, a rogue in business to be one that knows the world. By this means, we have no such things as sots, debauchees, whores, rogues, or the like, in the beau monde, who may enjoy their vices without incurring disagreeable appellations. [George Berkeley, "Alciphron or the Minute Philosopher," 1732] (from Etymonline s.v. euphemism.)
We are learning to be wary of ostensibly “nice” euphemisms.  Our teacher is now Vladimir Putin, who has given us instructive example of “special military operation.”
--
Zen Master Avoids Happiness Trap:
The trap was explained in a blog post on February 23: https://www.wrobertconnor.com/blog/the-happiness-trap
     The Zen master responds::
“The  good archer does not aim at the bullseye.”
--
Thanks!
These monthly Newsletters will take a vacation in July and August, but I will continue blogging  through those months.  I always welcome your comments and leads to new ideas and information. Keep ‘em coming. .
--
I hope you like this Newsletter and will consider forwarding it to friends with a suggestion they join the mailing list by sending me a message either here or at wrconnor1@gmail.com.
Next week I’ll post “Just Holding a Gun Gave You Guts:” The Gun Fetish in America.  Stay tuned.
Have a great summer

​

30 Comments
Lexynne link
9/5/2022 08:04:58 pm

I think there are number of things to learn from you about this article. This is quite interesting. I will definitely read all of your blogs.

Reply
Trixie link
9/12/2022 11:29:47 pm

Thank you for sharing this important insight! Keep posting!

Reply
Mary link
9/23/2022 06:15:58 am

That's good to know, and I thank you for giving this really helpful information.

Reply
Letitia R link
9/23/2022 11:37:01 am

Thanks for this article.. excited for your next post.

Reply
Mike link
9/28/2022 02:48:24 am

I very much appreciate it. Thank you for this excellent article. Keep posting!

Reply
Marian link
10/18/2022 10:43:51 am

Nice post and looking forward to read more. Thanks

Reply
SopiaDC link
11/1/2022 11:28:43 am

Thanks for this helpful article. Hope to read more soon.

Reply
Carol link
11/2/2022 10:36:00 am

Great and excellent article.. Thanks.

Reply
Kyla link
11/3/2022 06:41:38 pm

I appreciate you sharing your opinions and thoughts. The information was highly insightful and helpful. I'm definitely pinning it to share with others!

Reply
Lottery Games link
12/28/2022 08:49:15 pm

Nice article! Thanks for sharing this informative post. Keep posting!
To play 7xm please visit https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=rt7qb

Reply
Marites link
1/11/2023 10:55:25 am

Nice post and looking forward to read more. Thanks. https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=mwwom

Reply
Casino link
1/12/2023 05:12:12 am

What a great post! Thank you for sharing.

Reply
7XM Casino link
1/17/2023 10:33:50 pm

Very informative article! Thank you for sharing.

Reply
Letitia R link
1/27/2023 01:48:21 am

Love your post I will continue reading your post. Thanks. Register here : https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=pn9sx

Reply
SopiaDC link
2/3/2023 12:36:01 am

This article is helpful. Thanks. please visit: https://www.ye7.app/register?affiliateCode=9h7nw

Reply
Carol link
2/3/2023 12:46:52 am

Excellent article.. Thanks. please visit: https://www.ye7.app/register?affiliateCode=voh66

Reply
Ruth link
2/3/2023 12:55:03 am

Thanks, love to read more of this informative and amazing article. Click :https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=mwwom

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/3/2023 06:23:04 am

What an amazing, excellent content and great information. I am one of the millions who love this.

Check out any of the links provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future. Thanks!
👉 https://bit.ly/3GzK7MO 👉 https://bit.ly/3BHbLEh

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/7/2023 06:05:43 am

The content is excellent and I enjoy reading it. Love it!

Check out the links provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future. 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey 👉https://bit.ly/3GzK7MO

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/13/2023 11:11:17 pm

Amazing content and great information. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Check out any of the links provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future.
Register here 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey 👉 https://bit.ly/3RnUhn6 👉 https://bit.ly/3wd5GMR

Reply
Topslot link
3/19/2023 07:02:01 am

Good and informative article... thanks. https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=xqego

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/20/2023 06:52:07 am

This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, thank you so much for sharing to us.

Check out the link provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey

Reply
Mariel link
3/20/2023 09:21:10 am

Nice post and looking forward to read more. Thanks. https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=20id4

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/22/2023 12:52:51 am

I know you spent a lot of time thinking about your content, the perfect content and this is it. We’re so blessed and thankful to have such an amazing writer.
Check out the link provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/23/2023 07:57:19 am

I can’t even begin to explain how much your help meant to me. Thank you so much for sharing with us your article.
Check out the link provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey

Reply
neri link
3/23/2023 10:17:11 am

"Thanks for this wonderful post. Waiting for your next article.
Click this link to visit this great site.
https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=xnckb"

Reply
JM Cruz link
3/27/2023 09:46:52 am

Love your post I will continue reading your post. Thanks. Register here : https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=pn9sx

Reply
Vicky Whitchurch link
3/28/2023 12:58:36 am

I can’t even begin to explain how much your help meant to me. Thank you so much for sharing with us your article.
Check out the link provided and register for free if you find the link useful for you in the future 👉 https://bit.ly/3VzSOey

Reply
Anna R link
3/28/2023 08:34:32 am

Very helpful article. Thanks. please visit: https://www.ye7.app/register?affiliateCode=9h7nw

Reply
Neri link
3/28/2023 09:06:38 am

"Wonderful post, thanks. Waiting for your next article.
Click this link to visit this great site.
https://www.7xm.app/register?affiliateCode=xnckb"

Reply



Leave a Reply.