Romulans are an alien, imperial race in the original Star Trek TV show, sharing common ancestry with the Vulcans. Instead of using their considerable intelligence for the promotion of peace, as do Vulcans, Romulans are bellicose and at perpetual war … Continue reading
Search Results for: rome
Romeo and Juliet – Not my fav but respected
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare (1595-6). It portrays the brief lives of two “star crossed lovers” who come from feuding families, the Capulets and the Montagues. In Shakespeare’s time it was one of his most popular … Continue reading
The Glory and, sadly, the Gory of Rome
Embed from Getty Images young woman taking pictures at the Pantheon, Rome Rome is the vibrant capital of Italy, with a long and complicated history, dating back to the 8th century BCE. The founding of Rome is understood in terms … Continue reading
Who’s got the power?
Way Back The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle defined power in a way that remarkably prefigures Sir Isaac Newton‘s three laws of motion. Aristotle says power is The agent causing a change in something The ability or potential in an object enabling … Continue reading
Postmodernism – Not necessarily absurd or without wings
The term postmodernism became popular in the 1970s and 80s but has roots reaching back through the centuries. Social theorists usually try to define concepts through a key set of ideas and parameters. Postmodernism challenges conventional perceptions of “the definition” … Continue reading
Plotinus – Is “The One” really God?
Plotinus (205-70 CE) was an ancient Greek speaking philosopher thought to have been born in Egypt. He established a branch of philosophy that, since the Renaissance, has been called Neoplatonism. At Rome in 244 CE he became a prominent teacher of … Continue reading
Phrenology – A case of science overextending itself
Phrenology is a word popularized by Johann Caspar Spurzheim (1776-1832) to describe a pseudo-scientific theory developed by Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). Gall hypothesized that different brain regions are responsible for specific functions. Today, the details are debated but this model … Continue reading
Phenomenology – Mystical or mystifying?
Phenomenology is one of those words that crops up in undergrad sociology and philosophy courses. Whenever I heard it I felt sort of dumb, like when you hear a big word and don’t know what it means. And I think … Continue reading
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie – Eccentric, Genius, Innovator
Embed from Getty Images Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) was a groundbreaking archaeologist. He was the first to precisely measure the Egyptian pyramids. Historians love telling the fact that he wore a pink ballerina’s tutu while surveying the Great … Continue reading
Peter, Paul and Women – Another look at the Early Church
Among Christians, St. Peter is often compared to St. Paul. Peter is seen as the rule man. Paul, the innovator. Together, they are usually cited as the two most important early Christians after Jesus Christ, himself. Women in Early Christianity Feminists … Continue reading
