Of heroes and heroism

In 1898, the German pharmaceutical company Bayer developed a morphine substitute which they called 'Heroin'. The name was inspired by the Greek word heros meaning hero. Instead of bravery and heroism, this Circean potion led many to doom and ruin. The ironic hero was born. I remember my first contact with heroes and heroism. It was... Continue Reading →

History and timelines

One thing which distinguishes medieval from ancient history-writing is the timeline. From Herodotus to the historians of the Roman Empire, time was a stream flowing in a circle. It's not that ancient historians didn't understand the passage of time – they had a very good idea of what time does to matter and human consciousness... Continue Reading →

Judging a book by its covers

Don't judge a book by its covers, they say. The inside is what counts, they say. The advertising community is not so sure. The cover design is said to increase the marketability of a book by 50%, by a conservative estimate, and by as much as 80% in some cases. Which means that while we... Continue Reading →

Tu, Doamne, însă ei…

Doamne, Tu ai spus 'Să nu- şi caute nimeni folosul lui, ci fiecare pe al altuia' Ei au răspuns: 'non attrahas tibi res aliorum' ("nu te ocupa cu treburile celorlalți", De Imitatione Christi) Tu ai spus că litera ucide, legea întunecă. Ei au inventat dreptul canonic Tu i-ai cerut Tatălui să îi țină în lume.... Continue Reading →

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