Perfectibilism · Theosophy · Republican Heritage · U.S. Politics · Arts & Culture | “The health of the people should be the supreme law” — Cicero
ERNEST RENAN DETAILS IN 1882 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONCEPT OF NATION AND NATION TIED TO RACE AS A CONFUSION “Since the fall of the Roman Empire or, rather, since the disintegration of Charlemagne’s empire, western Europe has seemed to us to be divided into nations, some of which, in certain epochs, have sought to … Continue reading Ernest Renan on the Concept of Nation: The Nation becomes tied to Race
This reworked excerpt from an older post on the site highlights, what I would call ‘the failure of romantic idealist fervor,’ a fervor I have both criticized and expressed. Originally part of my article “Theosophy, Italian Fascism and German National Socialism, 2017.” In The National Socialist Revolution, we get a visual of Germany, the hopes … Continue reading Hitler’s Military Blunders and His call for the triumph of Labor over Capitalism, the Bourgeois and the Plutocrats
An in-depth lecture at Lahore University of Management Science (LUMS) based on Richard Wolin’s book “The Seduction of Unreason” on how counter-enlightenment ideas (read Mario Palmieri on the Rebirth of Classical Studies and Lore: Critiques the Renaissance, Individualism, and Speaks of the Ancient Sages and The Romaness of Fascism: Palmieri and Mussolini on Mazzini, Dante, … Continue reading What is Fascism – Based on Richard Wolin’s “The Seduction of Unreason” | Dr. Taimur Rahman
“What then is the American, this new man? . . . He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds.” J. HECTOR ST. JOHN DE CRÈVEŒUR, LETTERS … Continue reading James Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur – What Is An American: “What then is the American, this ‘New Man’”?
“Remember democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet, that did not commit suicide.” JOHN ADAMS (FIRST VPOTUS AND SECOND POTUS) LETTER TO JOHN TAYLOR, 17 DECEMBER 1814. “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?” Benjamin Franklin was asked supposedly, as he left … Continue reading John Adams Letter to John Taylor: “Remember, democracy never lasts long”
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the legendary Roman who defeated the Aequians and rescued the trapped Roan Army. With one hand he returns the fasces, symbol of power and fraternity to the Dictator of Rome. In the other, a plow, which represents his life as citizen and farmer. Cincinnati was named in 1790, after Cincinnatus by Governor … Continue reading The Roman Fasces of Cincinnati | Statue of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus
“To the mentally lazy or obtuse, Theosophy must remain a riddle; for in the world mental as in the world spiritual each man must progress by his own efforts. The writer cannot do the reader’s thinking for him, nor would the latter be any the better off if such vicarious thought were possible.” THE KEY … Continue reading The Issue of Theosophy, Occultism, and National Socialism in Germany (1880s-1930s): Blavatsky and Theosophical Notions of Race against Hitler, List, & Liebenfels
TO BE REWRITTEN TO ADD CARBONARI AND GARIBALDI HISTORY It is not enough to study history, but to make history, and the movers of history is a function we take interest in. The subject of the relation between Secret Societies, Politics and Theosophy is a fascinating side of history, and the thing is, while we … Continue reading H.P. Blavatsky involvement in Italian Politics with Garibaldi and Mazzini, and the Carbonari’s Role in the Republican Revolutions
“Unlike today’s liberals who quote his magnum opus, Wood does not think that America can return to its republican roots. He may be crying over spilled milk, but he has the fortitude to admit it.” HAYWARD, THE LIBERAL REPUBLICANISM OF GORDON WOOD So must we have the fortitude to admit. According to Steven F. Hayward, … Continue reading Late to the party… | A Look at Hayward’s Review: The Liberal Republicanism of Gordon Wood
“Educated people of varying political persuasions celebrated republicanism for its spirit, its morality, its freedom, its sense of friendship and duty, and its vision of society. Republicanism as a set of values and a form of life was much too pervasive, comprehensive, and involved with being liberal and enlightened to be seen as subversive or … Continue reading Gordon S. Wood on Republicanism and Monarchy in the Eighteenth-Century
