Rohlfs was the first European to cross Africa from the Mediterranean Sea southwards to the Gulf of Guinea. Much of north Africa was Islamic, and to pull off his dramatic feats of exploration Rohlfs learned Arabic, wore local dress, and had himself circumcised in order to pass as a Muslim. More on Rohlfs (1831-1896) at […]
One dedicated explorer — Gerhard Rohlfs Read More »
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902)Speech to Women’s Suffrage Convention, Washington, D.C. (1868) I urge a sixteenth amendment, because ‘manhood suffrage,’ or a man’s government, is civil, religious, and social disorganization. The male element is a destructive force, stern, selfish, aggrandizing, loving war, violence, conquest, acquisition, breeding in the material and moral world alike discord, disorder, disease, and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s 1868 “sixteenth amendment” speech Read More »
Wisdom from the grave: “Friedrich Nietzsche’s grandmother had some private letters in her possession from the circle surrounding Goethe. These letters came into the possession of Nietzsche’s aunt and uncle—who destroyed them. The uncle’s reason was this: ‘The brutal revelation of private relations upset him deeply. He did not grant the public any right to
On the private affairs of public figures: Nietzsche’s uncle on Goethe Read More »
Filmed in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The 22 Questions: Should One be Cynical or Benevolent? | How Can I Find My Own Voice? | Who is Your Favorite Artist? | Why did Art become Ugly? | What is Postmodernism? | What is Art? | Is Ambition Good? | Is Capitalism the Most Moral System? | What
[Frank advice about a “violent natural inclination” from sage Benjamin Franklin, supposing that celibacy is not a desirable option.] “But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking that Commerce with the Sex is inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice that in your Amours you should prefer old Women to young
On affairs with older women (classic advice from Benjamin Franklin) Read More »
One-minute clip from a leading 20th-century socialist: “I object to all punishment whatsoever. I don’t want to punish anybody. But there are an extraordinary number of people whom I want to kill. Not in any unkind or personal spirit. But it must be evident to all of you, you must all know half a dozen
George Bernard Shaw, socialist: justify your existence to the government—or die Read More »
The article was first published in 2004, based on a 2003 lecture in New York City. “For a long time critics of modern and postmodern art have relied on the “Isn’t that disgusting” strategy. By that I mean the strategy of pointing out that given works of art are ugly, trivial, or in bad taste,
“Why Art became Ugly” — with updated images Read More »
Essayist Joseph Epstein asks a question about philosophers: “What is it about the study of philosophy that tends to make brilliant minds stupid when it comes down to what are known as actual cases? Consider Martin Heidegger, Bertrand Russell, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, the four great names in twentieth-century philosophy: the first was a
“Why are philosophers stupid about politics?” Read More »